on Yelp
With a population of about 75,000 Baldwin Park has a young population, with many young families in the community. The area has a solid school system, as well as well-regarded private schools. The crime rate in Baldwin Park is a bit lower than much of the county. In addition, the suicide rate is comparable to what is found nationally at this juncture in time. In Baldwin Park, as has been the case in much of the United States, there has been an increase in the suicide rate in the city in the past few years. The suicide rate estimate for Baldwin Park is about 10 people a year. One of the most notorious suicides in Baldwin Park in the past several years as in fact a brutal murder-suicide.
A Murder-Suicide in Baldwin Park
On Christmas Day, the Baldwin Park Police Department was called to the Baldwin Park home of 49-year old Albert Ong and his wife. The police were called to the residence as the result of a notification that some sort of domestic disturbance was taking place at the home.
According to a neighbor, the police spent about 45 minutes at the residence. The neighbor indicated that the police left in a “nonchalant” manner. The neighbor stated that based on the conduct of the police on Christmas Day, the neighbor concluded that nothing too terribly serious had gone on in the Ong house that day.
The police were back at the Ong house the next day.
According to the Baldwin Park Police Department, officers returned to the Ong residence on December 26 to perform a welfare check. Typically, the police visit a location to perform a welfare check when someone calls and asks for that to occur. It is also possible that the police returned to the residence as a follow up to the Christmas Day visit with the residents, Ong and his wife.
No matter the initial motivation bringing the police back to the Ong home, what law enforcement officers found in the residence was shocking. Both Ong and his wife were dead. They both had numerous knife wounds on the upper part of their bodies.
The LA Coroner was called to the scene. The bodies were taken to the coroner’s office for forensic evaluations and autopsies. Assistance Chief Coroner Ed Winter ultimately reported that the incident at the Ong residence was a murder-suicide. The evidence revealed that Ong had killed his wife. After killing his wife, Ong took his own life, using the same knife.
The police continued to seek more information on why Ong killed his wife and then took his own life. They continue to seek any tips from the community. People can provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
Baldwin Park Landlords and Crime Scenes
Ong and his wife were renting the Baldwin Park home in which they were living before the murder-suicide. Thus, after the police and coroner completed their investigation at the crime and suicide scene, they released the premises to the landlord. He bore the responsibility for crime scene cleanup. Despite some misperceptions, neither the coroner’s office nor the Baldwin Park Police Department has any responsibility for crime scene cleanup.
Although technically a Baldwin Park landlord can undertake crime scene cleanup on his own, that is not an advisable course. The reality is that a landlord has no information about the health of a tenant, or tenants (in this case). A landlord who undertakes a crime scene cleanup at the leased property could end up exposed to dangerous biohazards. Therefore, the landlord in the Ong case in Baldwin Park engaged the services of a skilled, experienced biohazard cleanup specialist.
Suicide Survivor’s Support and Suicide Prevention Resources in Baldwin Park
The Teri G. Muse Family Center is maintained by the City of Baldwin Park. According to the city, the center was established to “provide a central facility for non-profit agencies offering social, health, and human services to the residents of Baldwin Park. Services include various types of counseling and health programs for individuals and families.” Services in the center do include resources for grief counseling as well as grief support groups. There are resources specifically for people who are survivors of suicide.
The center also offers suicide prevention services. These include access to emergency intervention services as well as counseling and therapy.
The center is located at:
14305 Morgan Street
(Behind Morgan Park)
Baldwin Park, California 91706
(626) 813-5270
A private clinic provides grief support, including counseling and access to support groups:
Nieto Padilla Therapy
Baldwin Park, California 91706 \
(626) 513-0214
