Family of victim in Maricopa murder-suicide speaks out

MARICOPA, Ariz. - A man allegedly kills his pregnant wife, and now we're hearing from the victim's family.

The family tells us the victim was five-months pregnant with her fourth child. They were aware of what was going on in the home. They tell us Vanessa had a restraining order against her husband, but went back out of fear. Despite all of this going on, they say they never thought it would come to this.

George and Kelly Palma are stunned, mourning the loss of Vanessa Palma after a tragic murder-suicide in Maricopa cut her life short.

"She will never be replaced, I have no more words," George Palma said.

"She was my best friend, my sister," Kelly Palma said. "She meant everything to me — to us. [She was] so friendly and happy. The main quality of hers is [she was] an amazing mother and everything she did in life surrounded her children. There's nothing she wouldn't do for her kids. They were her life, they were everything to her — she was just a good mother."

The 37-year-old was a mother of three with another on the way. Her best friend and sister-in-law, Kelly, says she was excited to welcome her fourth child.

"It's just a beautiful attachment that they had with each other," Kelly said. "They're having a really hard time — asking where mommy is."

The family tells us there were concerns over the past couple of months. But never in a million years would this ever cross their mind. They even offered to bring her to New Jersey to spend some time away from her husband.

"She mentioned to me that [things] were happening with her and him in the house," Kelly said. "Like him acting different, burning her clothes and doing awkward things around the house, [like] punching holes in the walls [and] throwing glass."

"I spoke to her every single day, so it's just weird not having her here to text and tell her jokes about different things," Kelly went on to say. "It's just weird — it's just different. It's hard."

The family is still trying to get her remains and her unborn child to New Jersey. They've also created a GoFundMe to help with funeral arrangements. 

As for her children, they are with family.