Hundreds of neighbors grieve Rancho Cordova mother, kids killed in murder-suicide
The streets around Mill Water Circle were illuminated with candles Sunday, as hundreds of neighbors gathered for a vigil to remember the lives of a Rancho Cordova mother and her children killed in what the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office says is a murder-suicide.
Lindsey Peralta Vallerga, 49, her 13-year-old son, Colton Drake Peralta Vallerga, and her 11-year-old daughter, Sydney Anne Peralta Vallerga, were found dead in their Rancho Cordova home Tuesday.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s office said David Edward Vallerga, 58, shot his wife and their two children before shooting himself. The motive is still unknown.
Neighbors, hugging and crying, passed out candles . Bouquets of flowers and lanterns lined the street in front of the family’s house. Children played and drew in chalk, messages reading “we love you” and “rest in peace.” People bowed their heads in prayer.
Trish Wilcox, 43, lives nearby and worked to organize the vigil, though she did not know the family well. She said many of the neighbor kids played with Sydney and Colton, and they were having the hardest time with news of the family’s death.
While she initially felt like there wasn’t anything she could do, she wanted to bring the community together.
“I thought that this could be a moment that we could turn something that’s tragic and dark into something that’s light,” Wilcox said.
The vigil started by lighting one candle, and the flame spread from people lighting each others’ candles with their own. Wilcox said that is symbolic of sharing love and light with one another in the community.
“We’re all just human beings, and we’re here for one purpose. There’s unity in numbers and that’s shown here tonight,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox encouraged people to reach out to their neighbors and get to know them.
“Say hi to them. Get to know their names,” Wilcox said. “It doesn’t take a lot to reach out in kindness, because you might find that people are struggling and that there’s something you can do to help them.”
Lindsay Miller, 39, lives across the street from the Vallerga home and is good friends with Wilcox. She said the whole community has been affected by the loss of Peralta Vallerga and her children.
She wanted people attending the vigil to get to know the family and wanted there to be support for people who may not have known the family well but were affected by the magnitude of the tragedy happening nearby.
“That was a good family that lived here,” she said. “They were a part of this community.”
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office released the names of the family Thursday. Coroner’s records list Lindsey’s last name as Burger, while her social media pages and Elk Grove business listed her as Lindsey Peralta Vallerga.
Peralta Vallerga was the owner of Grade Power Learning in Elk Grove, where her husband was the center director. The couple also owned and operated a location of the franchise in El Dorado Hills.
Coworkers of Peralta Vallerga’s spoke at the vigil, saying that Lindsey and David felt “like mom and dad.”
“We were treated like family,” one coworker said. Another said the children were “rays of sunshine” and “very creative.”
Claudia Teehan, 63, lives in the neighborhood and wanted to show support and show that people in the area cared for the family.
Teehan said the neighborhood is “isolated” out in Rancho Cordova and she wanted to come together in the wake of the tragedy.
“I want to honor our neighbors who we lost to domestic violence,” Teehan said.
Local nonprofit shares resources for domestic violence survivors
Julie Bornhoeft, chief strategy and sustainability officer for Sacramento crisis intervention nonprofit WEAVE, Inc., said domestic violence incidents like this are “not a new phenomenon.”
Bornhoeft noted that over half of female homicide victims are killed by their partner and that risk increases when weapons are present.
“When there is a firearm, or, in this case, multiple firearms in the home, the risk to the other family members — the partner in that relationship, children — increases the likelihood of homicide five times,” Bornhoeft said.
She encouraged people to be aware of indicators that someone may be experiencing domestic violence, including isolation, stalking and fear of one’s partner. Friends and family of a potential victim should be a safe space, but not pressure the victim to leave before they are ready, Bornhoeft said.
“Everyone is the expert in their own situation,” she said. “Every situation is unique.”
WEAVE offers crisis intervention services for domestic violence survivors, including a 24/7 support line, free counseling, safety planning, emergency housing and legal assistance.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
