DANBURY — A local mother killing her three children before taking her own life has shaken the community in the past week and is raising awareness to a potential “stigma” around mental health treatment in the immigrant community.
Danbury police said Sonia Loja, 36, killed her three children July 27 before killing herself. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed the children — Junior Panjon, 12, Joselyn Panjon, 10, and Jonael Panjon, 5 — died by strangulation and Loja died by hanging.
At a vigil at his home Saturday, Pedro Panjon said his wife was distracted over the loss of income after she was ordered in June to close her unlicensed day care business. Panjon said his wife was unable to get a day care license because the family is undocumented.
Danbury resident Emanuela Palmares, an activist in the immigrant community and vice president of the nonprofit New American Dream Foundationsaid the tragedy underscores the need to raise awareness to the mental health treatment resources available in the community.
“At the end of the day, no matter what events led Sonia to take the tragic action that she did, it’s fair to say that she was not at her optimal mental health. And that’s really what we need to be talking about — how do we somehow work together to prevent this from happening the next time around?” said Palmares, who came to the US from Brazil at the age of 10.
In the immigrant community, Palmares said, there is a “stigma” when asking for help.
“We need to talk more about mental health in the Latino community and immigrant community,” Palmares said. “There’s a real crisis going on.”
The community needs to “openly talk more about mental health and understand that if you are an immigrant and you’re uninsured, the challenges you have are insurmountable compared to someone who is not an immigrant and fully insured,” she said.
Getting help
Tea Connecticut Institute for Communities in Danbury is among the mental health resources available for undocumented people. The federally qualified health center accepts all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or their insurance status.
The facility, which serves the greater Danbury area, provides medical, family dentistry, women’s health and behavioral health services, as well as many wrap-around support services such as nutrition counselling, financial assistance and translation assistance.
Marlene Moranino, chief program officer, said patients who are in crisis are referred to Nuvance Crisis Intervention and their mobile psychiatric emergency services for immediate evaluation and intervention.
Behavioral health services are also offered in all school-based health centers in Danbury, Newtown and New Milford, where students can be referred immediately for services.
Moranino said about 50 percent of CIFC patients are served in a language other than English, with Spanish and Portuguese as the two most requested languages.
“We have bilingual providers and translation services to ensure we meet the requests,” she said.
Community in mourning
Since the deaths, community members have been gathering at the family’s Whaley Street home where a memorial continues to grow. The deaths have been particularly felt at St. Peter Catholic Church where two of the older Panjon children attended religion classes.
Rev. Gregg Mecca, pastor at St. Peter Catholic Church, said the parish family is “heartbroken that the lives of three of our children were cut short. We are mourning that they will not experience more of the beautiful gift, which life is.”
The church knew Junior and Jocelyn Panjon to be “lovely children — respectful and good students. Pedro, the father, was supportive of their religious formation,” Mecca said.
“Pedro’s life is shattered, and there are no words, no gestures that can repair it,” Mecca said. “As people of faith, we are confident that Junior, Jocelyn, Jonael and Sonia are in the presence of God where there is no sadness. We are praying for Pedro that God who alone can heal the human heart sustains him in his grievance and distress.”
The funeral for the four family members is scheduled for 10 am Friday at St. Peter Catholic Church in Danbury. Visitation will take place in the church from 3 to 9 pm Thursday.
St. Peter Catholic Church has set up a funeral fund for the family. Contributions can be made on the church’s website.
