WHAT began as a beautiful summer’s day ended in darkest tragedy on a Limerick country road last Tuesday when a three-year-old boy and his father died after their car was in a head-on collision with a truck in a suspected case of murder suicide.
The child’s mother was hospitalised after she was beaten and stabbed as she tried to stop her former partner from taking their child on the fatal journey.
Marco Velocci (28) and Jodi Power (26) were described as a childhood sweethearts before their relationship ended more than a year ago. Before they split, they had a baby boy together, Alex.
However the tragic circumstances of the events which unfolded on Tuesday before it claimed the two lives and left a young Limerick mother hospitalised are the centre of a garda investigation.
At 8:32am on Tuesday morning as the country was waking to heatwave, emergency services were alerted to a head on car crash at an area known as Brooks Bridge on the N24 to Pallasgreen to Oola Road.
Eye witnesses say that they saw a black Audi estate veer into the path of an oncoming articulated truck before the collision.
Marco Velocci, the driver and his three year old son, Alex were killed instantly.
At 8:35am, Gardai received a panicked phone call from Jodie who alerted them that she was the victim of a knife attack at her bungalow in Glebe, Oola. She was left with a suspected broken arm and superficial knife wounds.
In the aftermath, it emerged that the two incidents were connected.
Marco had an argument with Jodi before he took Alex a sped to their deaths.
It’s understood that a motorcyclist was first on the scene of the fatal collision but he was too traumatised to be interviewed by Gardai after the collision.
The truck driver, while not injured was also treated for shock after the ordeal.
A panicked search for other family members unfolded but was scaled back when the devastation of the tragedy unfolded.
Mr Velocci, who worked locally as a tradesman and was well known to be a talented soccer player and a keen huntsman and wildlife enthusiast, was born in Ireland to his mother and Italian father and his family has been living here for many years.
The 28-year-old had been living in Lattin in South Tipperay after the break up of his relationship with Ms Power.
His son lived with his mother in Oola where both sets of grandparents also reside.
Friends described Marco as a “great lad, good company and he loved his family and his son”.
Neighbours said that the couple had been spotted walking together on Monday “happy out, and no sign of any conflict. Alex was with them too and everything seemed normal. Little did we know that they we would all wake up to this tragedy as it unfolded.
Local Fianna Fáil Councillor and Deputy Mayor Noel Gleeson said the entire community was devastated when news of the tragedy emerged.
“My sympathies go out to all the family’s on both sides of this awful tragedy. It is particularly sad as both sets of grandparents live close to one another so the entire community is just shocked and devastated for all concerned,” said Cllr Gleeson.
“His family lived here, it is an awful shock to the village. It’s terrible to hear that a young boy lost his life,” said one local woman.
Ms Power’s parents, Elizabeth and Perry, were been comforted by family and friends.
A Family Liaison Officer has been appointed and a post mortem is expected to take place at Limerick University Hospital on Wednesday.
Inspector Luke Conlon, who is the Acting Superintendent at Bruff Garda Station, is leading the investigation into both incidents and is appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or travelled the road between 8am and 8.30am is asked to contact gardaí at Bruff on 061-382940, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line on 1800-666-111 or any garda station.
