The families of Joshua Molyneaux, Domonique Cruz-Champion and their three children celebrated their lives on Thursday in Binghamton after they were killed in a fire at the Knights Inn in Endwell two weeks ago.  

Ella Cruz-Molyneaux (3), Romyn Cruz-Molyneaux (2), and Zachariah Cruz-Molyneaux (10 months), were the children of the couple. The fire also killed another resident, Michelle Woolfolk, 58.  

“She was just a wonderful person who lost their life too early,” said Cruz-Champion’s uncle, Christopher Scott. “She was a great mom. She loved her children. She kept her children in a hotel, in one bedroom because she wasn’t going to be separated from them.”

Molyneaux’s siblings, who were at the celebration of life, said he was hard-working, and would do anything he had to do for his children and Cruz-Champion. They said he loved them dearly and had recently started a landscaping business to support their family.

A vase with all six people killed in the fire on the table at the celebration of life. (Spectrum News 1/Emily Kenny)

Scott said they were staying there temporarily as their apartment was contaminated with black mold.  

“She had a place, but there was some mold, so they needed to take care of that. In the interim, she utilized emergency services which is [Department of Social Services],” Scott said.  

On the morning of the fire, June 22, Scott said he received a call from his brother, thinking it was like any other time he would call just to talk; then he realized it wasn’t.

“I was really believing that it’s going to be okay, then as the day progressed, we realize it’s not going to be OK, and we have a long road ahead of us,” Scott said. “It’s been a long road, and it continues to be a long road.”

The room was full of people who gathered to remember the family. (Spectrum News 1/Emily Kenny)

The six people who lost their lives are a demonstration of why the system needs to change, but Scott said it shouldn’t have to come to that to make the system work. His full-time job is working with people who experience substance use issues as well as homelessness.  

“It’s not just about finding housing; it’s about finding foundational security. Yes, that starts with housing, but housing isn’t a hotel,” Scott said. “That’s not housing. You can’t put five people in a room and expect them to flourish. It just doesn’t work like that, I think that there is an opportunity for us as a community to bring this to the forefront.”

While he understands there needs to be systematic change, he doesn’t blame anyone for the death of his niece and her family.  

“They’re doing what they have available to them, I’m sure if they had houses and houses and houses, they would much prefer to put people there so it’s not a [Department of Social Services] thing,” Scott said. “It’s a higher-up thing. What are we going to do to figure out this housing crisis in our area because you couldn’t decide before you waited and now, I don’t want to say it’s too late, but a lot of tragedy has happened because of it.”

While they are devastated by the loss, his family has been trying to focus on the positive things they have seen and experienced from the community.  

“That day when me and my family were in front of that building while it was on fire and we didn’t know what was going on, there were so many local businesses and so many residents in that neighborhood overflowing the streets with support,” Scott said. “The message is we never know what’s going to happen. So it’s super important to keep our loved ones close. Never take anything for granted.”