LOS ANGELES — Three young children were found dead in a Los Angeles apartment Saturday morning and their mother was arrested after fleeing the scene, authorities said.
The children, all under the age of 3, were found by their grandmother shortly after 9:30 a.m. PDT, Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Sgt. David Bambrick told KNBC.
Update 7:28 a.m. EDT April 11: Police said the mother suspected of killing her children, Liliana Carrillo, had been involved in a custody dispute with the children’s father, the Los Angeles Times reported. The newspaper cited court documents that Eric Denton asked for a temporary emergency visitation last month. He also petitioned for a mental health evaluation for Carrillo.
A hearing had been scheduled for April 14.
Carrillo had asked for a domestic violence restraining order against Denton on March 12 in response to his request, court documents showed, according to the Times.
Denton said Carrillo was supposed to give him their children on Sunday.
Update 7:15 p.m. EDT April 10: The Los Angeles Police Department said the ages of the children were 3 years old, 2 years old and 6 months old, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Update 5:41 p.m. EDT April 10: Police identified the children’s mother, 30-year-old Liliana Carrillo, as a person of interest in the case, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“These are the moments we carry throughout our career,” Lt. Raul Joel told reporters at the scene. “It’s hard to process that as a police officer.”
Police said they had received reports that Carrillo had committed a carjacking in the Bakersfield area and might be driving a stolen silver Toyota pickup, the Times reported. She was later taken into custody in Tulare County.
We are receiving reports that she just committed a carjacking in the Bakersfield area and might be driving in a stolen Silver Toyota pickup license J258T0. Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 213-486-6890 or email rhdtipline@lapd.online.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) April 10, 2021
Original report: Few details were immediately available about the attack, and police detectives are looking for a suspect, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Three children were found fatally stabbed in Reseda on Saturday morning. https://t.co/XcVdQywxyj
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 10, 2021
It was unclear whether there were any additional victims, the newspaper reported.
The LAPD’s Homicide Division will investigate, Bambrick told KNBC.
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