WASHINGTON, Pa. -- After searching throughout the day and afternoon, state police found a Washington County man and charged him with three counts of homicide for the deaths of his estranged wife and her two children in Marianna.

Police found Orlando Maurice Guarino, 38, near a Pizza Hut restaurant in Canton Township after a lengthy search that, at one point, led investigators to a motel in Eighty Four and as far away as Greene County.
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Ashley Guarino, 22, and her children, Dreux, 2, and 11-month-old Orlando, were found dead by a family member who broke down a door at their house on Third Street Wednesday night, police said.

The mother's body was found on the first floor and the children were found upstairs, Coroner Tim Warco said. Autopsy results are pending, but Warco said the victims were likely suffocated.

Authorities believe Orlando Guarino was angry over his recent separation with his wife of three years and the limited visitation he was granted with the children, WTAE Channel 4's Jennifer Miele reported.

Earlier Thursday, state police surrounded the Avalon Motor Inn on Matthews Spur Road in Eighty Four, where they thought Guarino's pickup truck had been spotted, but they were unable to find Guarino there.

Later in the day, a vehicle matching the description of Guarino's truck was found along the Monongahela River in Greene County, between Rices Landing and Carmichaels. Police said there was no sign of Guarino there, either.

District Attorney Steven Toprani said he's investigating witness accounts that at least one person helped Guarino ditch his vehicle and hide from police.

Guarino is being held without bail, pending his preliminary hearing on July 23 at the Washington County Courthouse.

Donations in care of A.D.O. Guarino Memorial Fund are being accepted at Northwest Savings Bank, 1265 West Chestnut St., Washington, Pa. 15301.

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Orlando Guarino cuts lawns for a living and Ashley Guarino was a waitress at the Moose Lodge in Washington, according to neighbor Danielle Ehrhardt, who baby-sat for their children.

Ehrhardt remembered Orlando Jr. was just learning how to walk and loved to play with cell phones, while Dreux needed to watch cartoons on TV to help her fall asleep.

Court documents show that the Guarinos traded abuse allegations last month, resulting in the wife getting a protection-from-abuse order against the husband.

Ashley Guarino got the temporary PFA on June 19, a day after they argued and Orlando Guarino allegedly threatened to kill her and the children, according to the paperwork.

Her court filing claimed that she and her husband were in a moving vehicle when Orlando Guarino held a car seat -- with his son in it -- out a window and said, "You wanna see something crazy?"

She also claimed her husband had carried the baby into the house on his hip with a butcher knife in the other hand, and once drove her to a truck in the woods and said he wanted her to watch as he killed himself.

Orlando Guarino once requested a protective order against his wife, but it was denied. He filed court papers claiming she and her father threatened to shoot him.

In 2006, Orlando Guarino was charged with aggravated assault and related counts, which were all dismissed or withdrawn, according to court records.

He was charged in several cases in 1994 and another in 1997 which included aggravated assault, weapons and drug counts, and they resulted in a prison sentence of two to four years, according to court records.

Watch Jennifer Miele’s report on Orlando Guarino, suspected of killing his wife and kids:Suspect Arrested In Washington Co. Triple Homicide :

Watch Jon Greiner’s Report on the Guarino family history: Guarino Family History

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