Man wanted for questioning in double murder takes own life

Michael Blanco, the man who police called a 'person of interest' in the double murder of his girlfriend and her daughter, has been found dead of a suicide in a Phoenix motel room.

Tuesday afternoon, Blanco's body was found in a room at the Knights Inn at McDowell and I-17. Phoenix Police say the initial investigation indicates Blanco died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Blanco checked into the motel Monday around 12:30 p.m., and when he did not check out on Tuesday, motel employees went to see why. They found the body and called police.

Christina Wilson, 42, and her daughter Vanessa Wilson, 14, were found shot to death at their home, near 24th St and McDowell, Monday afternoon. Blanco was Christina's live-in boyfriend.

The last time Christina and her daughter were seen or heard from was Saturday. It appears they were shot in their sleep. There were no signs of forced entry at the residence.

A memorial of candles and flowers is now growing in front of the victims' home, and a candlelight vigil was held Tuesday night. 

Nicole Adame, Christina's cousin, helped organize the vigil, hours after hearing Blanco was found dead.

"Sigh of relief, you want to be happy you want to smile, but this doesn't help," says Adame. "We all keep playing it backwards, was there something she told us we weren't listening to, was there something we missed. But that's all we can do is play it back... it's going to be a long long road."

"It hurts. Messed up. I never really cried for someone," says Zoey Dalton, a good friend of Vanessa Wilson.

"How could you do that to somebody, like what are you going to gain out of life from doing that to somebody else. What are you going to gain. Nothing," says neighbor Michelle Parra.

Vanessa was a freshman at Camelback High School. Christina was a mother of 3, and Vanessa was her youngest. Tuesday, a group of counselors went from class to class talking to students and teachers, helping them to deal with this tragedy.

Ballistics testing will determine whether or not Blanco's gun fired the shots that killed Christina and Vanessa Wilson. The investigation is ongoing.