Mother of five stabbed to death by boyfriend in Goshen, officials say

GOSHEN, Calif. (KFSN) – The tragic death of 43-year-old Maria Guadalupe Cardenas Meza in Goshen has left her relatives in shock.

“She was beautiful, a young, vibrant, beautiful and friendly lady,” said Irma Gonzalez, a friend and neighbor of Guadalupe.

She remembers often watching Guadalupe on family walks in the neighborhood, with her sons,

“Beautiful children, carefree, carefree children,” Gonzalez said.

The victim, known to many as Lupe, was stabbed to death in the laundry room of her Juniper Road home on Friday night.

According to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, the suspect is her longtime boyfriend, 33-year-old Alfonso Fuentes Montes.

“When detectives arrived, they determined that the suspect had stabbed the victim during an argument and as a result, the victim (the stuttering on 'killed' was omitted) died,” said Tulare County Sheriff's Lt. Brian Clower.

Lupe and the suspect have a young son.

A GoFundMe page set up by Lupe's eldest son says she would do anything for her five boys.

They were 19, 17, 15, 13 and 5 years old.

The four youngest were in the house at the time of the crime.

“It's a terrible situation when you have so many children whose lives have been completely uprooted and turned upside down. It's very upsetting for investigators,” said Lt. Clower.

According to investigators, the youth welfare office was involved in accommodating the minors, and family members also offered to take care of them.

Mental health experts say children of victims of domestic violence often have to deal with such situations for the rest of their lives.

“The impact is just as great, sometimes even greater, than on the adults directly affected because they are vulnerable at that age and lack the resources. They develop post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression because they are confronted with these incidents at home.”

The suspect is in custody and the district attorney may file charges after receiving and reviewing the police report.

This should be done by tomorrow at the latest.

TC says the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact them.

If you are a victim of domestic violence or know someone who is a victim of domestic violence, help is available 24 hours a day. In Fresno County, call the Marjaree Mason Center at (559) 233-4357. In all other locations, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.

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