Vigil held for family killed in Fort Myers apartment

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A community gathered Sunday for a vigil in memory of a family killed inside their Iona Lakes Apartments home.

Patrick Sean Carlopoli is in jail after his girlfriend, 37-year-old Tammy Modlin, her 16-year-old daughter Montana, the couple’s 3-year-old Jeanne Carlopoli and dog were found dead Jan. 24.

Neighbors said they still have a lot of questions but paused for a few minutes to sing “Amazing Grace” and add to the growing memorial outside the family’s window.

Some neighbors said they felt remorse for not speaking up but that they believe the vigil was a nice gesture.

“We just all feel that we could have stepped in, in some way. Said something, done something, called someone. To at least shed light on it before something like this happened,” said Iona Lakes Apartment resident Lynette Tucker. “In such a tragedy, to see something like that and shed light on it is very sweet.”

Now residents say tragedy has brought them together.

“Everyone has really come together. Neighbors that you may not have spoken to before or you didn’t know you talk to now,” Tucker said. “Everyone knows each other on a first name basis. We’re all on the same path to try to move on from this.”

Patrick Carlopoli is charged with second-degree murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of felony animal cruelty.