Update: Murdered wife worked for domestic violence nonprofit
The woman police say was murdered this weekend by her estranged husband, who then killed himself, worked at a local nonprofit agency that assists Latino victims of domestic violence.
Viviana Tellez-Giron worked part-time providing child care for clients of UNIDOS (United) Against Domestic Violence, Julie Andersen, program director and acting executive director, said Monday.
The bodies of Viviana Tellez-Giron, 33, and her husband, Salvador Tellez-Giron, 66, were discovered by family members Saturday evening at his condominium at 747 Kottke Drive, just south of Watts Road, Madison police said.
Dane County Coroner John Stanley said in a statement that Viviana died from multiple blunt force injuries and that Salvador died from self-inflicted hanging in a domestic violence incident.
Salvador was the patriarch of a well-known local family, with adult children active in community affairs.
A young child of the dead couple was staying with family members at the time of the incident, police said. Officials of the Madison Metropolitan School District, where the child is a student, said that counseling was being made available to those seeking it.
The deaths have sent shock waves through the Madison Latino community.
"There is a lot of sadness and anger in our office," Andersen said of her agency, located in the headquarters of Centro Hispano at 810 W. Badger Road. "She had a lot of energy," Andersen said, recalling how Viviana had cared for children of domestic violence survivors from around the state at a conference last fall.
Anderson said she wanted to dispel myths that domestic violence is more prevalent in the Latino community than in others. "Domestic violence is a tragedy that happens in all communities," she said. Her agency provides services in Spanish and is familiar with specific issues in the community like the reluctance of immigrant Latinos, regardless of their immigration status, to report domestic abuse to police.
UNIDOS bilingual outreach advocate Cecilia Gillhouse recalled that Viviana was very sensitive to the concerns of domestic violence survivors, and would bring in homemade treats for the support group. "She was really special with the kids," Gillhouse said.
Gillhouse said she could not speak to whether Viviana had had problems with domestic violence in the past.
Centro Hispano executive director Peter Munoz said he knew Salvador well, and the scenario painted by officials would have been much out of character. "This is truly an incredible tragedy," Munoz said Monday.
Salvador and his former wife, Yolanda Salazar, along with their adult children, were honored in 2005 for their work in the Latino community as "Wisconsin Hispanic Family of the Year" by United Migrant Opportunity Services in Milwaukee.
Two daughters are well-known in the Madison community. Physician Patricia Tellez-Giron is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health who practices at the Wingra Family Medical Center. Teresa Tellez-Giron is a social worker with the Dane County Department of Human Services.
The family, Munoz said, "was devastated."
Salvador and Salazar divorced in 2001, according to the state's court record Web site. The couple had both been attorneys in their native Mexico.
He was owner of Madison Auto and Van and a founding member of the Madison Latino Chamber of Commerce.
"He was a wonderful person," said Munoz, who described him as "jovial, very optimistic."
"I could always count on him to go the extra mile," Munoz said of Salvador's involvement in community affairs.
Munoz said he was not certain when Salvador
remarried, but newspaper records indicate they received a marriage
license before the end of 2002.
Salvador Tellez-Giron pleaded no contest in 2004 to first offense operating while under the influence, according to the state's court record Web site.
His family announced that funeral services would be Wednesday at Bethel Lutheran Church, 312 Wisconsin Ave., with visitation at 11 a.m., followed by Mass at 11:30 a.m.
The Tellez-Giron Salazar family in a statement thanked the community for "thoughts and prayers at this time of enormous grief," and promised support to Viviana's family in carrying out their wishes for a fitting burial.
Viviana's family is in Mexico, although an uncle arrived in Madison Monday, Gillhouse said.
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PJ Slinger/The Capital Times
Salvador Tellez-Giron and Viviana Tellez-Giron died Saturday at this home on Kottke Drive on Madison's west side.
