Montgomery father wants slain children remembered in life, not 'inexplicable' deaths

The Montgomery father of two children found dead in their mother's car this week said his kids had "abundant love" and asked for privacy as he deals with grief, anguish, questions and indescribable pain.

In a statement issued through his attorney on Friday, James Ross, the father of 7-year-old Samantha Ross and 11-month-old Paul Ross, said he appreciates the outpouring of sympathy and compassion shown by the community, while also asking that everyone respect his right to privacy.

"They had abundant love from those around them, as well as each other, every day,” Ross said in the statement. “Indeed Samantha and Paul had very different personalities, but they loved each other very much, and were very happy when playing together. I picture them as being happy together still. They meant everything to me, and I miss them deeply with my broken heart.”

The children's mother, Yuhwei Chou, 36, has been charged with their murders.

Ross asked that everyone keep his children in their prayers and for those who knew his kids to remember how they were in life "and not dwell on the inexplicable circumstances of their passing."

For those who didn't know his children, but have kept them in their thoughts, he knows it's impossible to fathom why this happened, he said.

According to the attorney, funeral arrangements will be private, but a public memorial service honoring the lives of "Sammy" and Paul has been scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Stone Hill Church in Princeton.

READ: Montgomery mom charged with murdering kids planned killings for a week, affidavit says

The father broke his silence about his kids’ tragic deaths hours after an autopsy report showed they died from asphyxia by airway obstruction.

The autopsy also determined their deaths were homicide. A motive has not been released as the deaths remain under investigation.

Chou has been charged with two counts of murder. She is being held at the Somerset County Jail awaiting a bail detention hearing, which is expected to be held next week.

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Chou said on Monday she drove to Wawa for lunch and then to a True Value hardware store where she bought duct tape and zip ties, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by MyCentralJersey.com.

She then drove to a sports facility on Mountainview Road in Hillsborough where she began to put duct tape on her daughter's face, but she became "spooked" by a bystander in the park, the affidavit says.

She then drove along Mountainview Road and parked in a hunting area with a dirt driveway on the side of the road before she climbed into the backseat and zip tied her daughter's hands and duct taped her face along with her son's face, according to the affidavit.

Chou used her hands to suffocate both victims until they were dead, the affidavit says.

"Chou stated that she has been planning the two murders for approximately one week," according to the affidavit.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Montgomery NJ: Father wants slain kids remembered in life