Vigil held to remember slain South Jersey mom Roxanne Flores

At the health practice where she greeted patients and scheduled appointments at the front desk, Roxanne Flores often displayed a smile.

Flores, 35, was a mother of three; soft-spoken and always put together, said Michele Willis, her co-worker and Stratford, Camden County, neighbor. Her life seemed normal.

But at home, things were more complicated. Willis' 13-year-old son, best friends with Flores' son of the same age, told his mother he could hear Flores and her husband, Mario, fighting sometimes, Willis said.

"I just didn't even put two and two together," said Willis, 49, a mother of five who is also married. "Because we all fight, we all argue."

On Friday evening, Willis and about 100 others held a vigil to remember Roxanne Flores, and to raise money for her children.

Flores was found fatally shot last Saturday, Feb. 20, in the bedroom of the home she shared with her husband and two sons, 13 and 8, and daughter, 3. Mario Flores, 33, has been charged with his wife's murder.

Authorities said the couple was arguing when Mario Flores allegedly shot her. He then fled to Alexandria, Va., where police stopped his vehicle and arrested him that morning, authorities said. He remained in custody Friday in Virginia and is expected to be extradited to New Jersey.

The vigil, organized by Willis and another neighbor, was held in front of the Flores home on Wright Avenue in Stratford. A large picture of Roxanne, smiling, was put up outside.

Her mother approached and caressed it.

"She was my baby," she yelled, crying. "She was my baby."

Flores' oldest son sat in front of the picture, embracing friends and family.

"She will be dearly missed," Flores' cousin, Yvette Echevarria, told the gathering. "And we will be sure to take care of her children."

Mario and Roxanne Flores had been married for at least 10 years, friends and family said. Their children are now staying with an aunt in South Jersey.

Police responded to the Flores home around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 20 for a requested well-being check. Forty minutes earlier, a sergeant patrolling the area had seen Mario Flores pull out of his driveway, investigators said. He then dropped off his daughter, who was in the car, at a relative's home in Lindenwold around 1 a.m., before heading to Virginia, authorities said.

That weekend, Willis said, her son was supposed to play basketball and work on a book report with Flores' son. Instead, yellow police tape surrounded the Flores' home.

Roxanne Flores worked at the Voorhees, Stratford, and Washington Township facilities of the health practice Advanced ENT, which she joined in June 2015. CEO Patricia Moser described her as "very bubbly" but also very private.

"We really are deeply saddened by this tragic event," Moser said.

Coworker Beth Moore, 38, who also lives near Flores, called her death devastating.

"If she had a problem, none of us knew it," Moore said. She said she and others wanted to make sure the children were OK.

"The whole community just wants to help the family and the children," Moore said. "We're just worried about the children."

A trust fund has been established to aid the Flores children. Contributions can be made at any TD Bank branch to the account: "Advanced ENT for the benefit of the Flores children."

mboren@phillynews.com

856-779-3829 @borenmc