Salt Lake City – A murder-suicide that happened in a home in South Salt Lake almost looks inevitable once all the details have started to come out. Tracie Williamson, 28, her 10-year-old daughter, Linzie, her live-in boyfriend Peter Perez,34, and his 1-year-old daughter all lay dead in the home they lived in together. They had been shot to death by Perez before he then turned the gun on himself.

Tracie first told her father that Perez was mentally and physically abusing her about a year ago. She went as far as writing a letter four weeks ago detailing the incidents, Perez’s threats to kill her if she told anyone, and a time when he threatened to kill himself while placing the barrel of a gun in his mouth. Williamson’s family tried to file a protective order on Williamson’s behalf but could not do so since Tracie was an adult she had to be the one file it. No less than three welfare checks had been requested, resulting in police going to the home twice in April and ending with Tracie telling the officer’s nothing was wrong and that she was fine.

On May 10th, they were called again by the family of Tracie. When the officer’s checked, it appeared as no one was at the home and that nothing was out of the ordinary. They went back again on Monday after Tracie’s sister called to tell police they have not been seen or heard from in over a week. On this visit the bodies of all four were found after an officer decided to pry open a window and immediately caught the smell of decomposition. He also saw a body lying on the floor. Police have not released what rooms the bodies were in, or if they were all together, but they have stated a suicide note was found by Perez’s body. The contents of the note has not been released.

Other details being reported are that Perez did have a permit to carry a concealed weapon and that he was introduced to Tracie by his ex-wife. The family is stating that they did not like Perez and felt that he was taking advantage of Tracie’s low self-esteem. He alienated her from her family, and in a strange bit of information, was running some sort of religious service in the basement of the home. Tracie also has a 7-year-old daughter who is living with Tracie’s father after he forced her to sign over guardianship. He was in the process of having the same thing done for Linzie as well.

What makes this story more tragic for everyone involved, and probably not unlike other situations currently being experienced by women across the country, is the fact that the warning signs were plain to see and that unlike some of the stories we report about, family did try to get involved and tried to get help for Tracie before something like this happened. While I can certainly understand the frustration being experienced by the family, I cannot find fault with the police in this case as I do think they did what they could and ran into a situation they probably see daily in which help is being offered to a person but the person refuses to accept it. How far should a family be able to go in situations like this? Or the police, for that matter.

Don’t blame me for the terrible title…I sort of stole it from the Salt Lake Tribune. Thanks for the heads up, Unamused Cat.

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