Three children were killed in an apparent murder-suicide after their mother let her ex-partner take her out to dinner, police say

Three children ages 9 to 13 were killed in a murder-suicide, police said, after their mother agreed to let an ex-partner take her to get something to eat, officials in Georgia said.

A police officer patrolling Lucky Shoals Park in Gwinnett County, about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta, discovered the bodies of a man and three children in a vehicle parked on a trail just after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Gwinnett County police identified the children as Arianny Rodriguez, 13, Chadal Rodriguez, 11, and Carlos Rodriguez, 9.

The suspect was identified as Jose Plasencia, 56, who previously had a relationship with the children’s mother.

Police said the mother was at the hospital because another of her children suffered an unrelated injury. According to police, Plasencia was the father of the injured child and had met the mother and children at the hospital.

“After some time, the mother agreed to let the three children go with the suspect to get something to eat while she remained in the hospital,” police said in a statement on Facebook.

Gwinnett County Police Sgt. Michele Pihera called the incident a tragedy.

“Our officers will step back and … do their job with all their might and make sure they investigate this as if it were any other murder. And trying to at least give some conclusion to the families that may be involved,” Pihera told Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA.