A California mother admitted to killing her three young children at their West Hills home with the help of a 16-year-old boy, police said Monday. Both the mother and teen, who is believed to be the woman’s son, have been arrested.
On Sunday morning, officers responded to the home on the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard after receiving a call of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The three children, identified as a 12-year-old girl and two younger brothers, 8 and 9 years old, were found dead inside the home.
The children’s mother, identified as 38-year-old Angela Flores, was arrested on three counts of murder and is being held on $6 million bail at Van Nuys Jail. The 16-year-old subject, who has not been identified, was arrested on one count of murder and is being held without bail at Sylmar Juvenile Hall.
SEE ALSO: California Mother And Her Teen Son Arrested In Murder Of 3 Children
The 16-year-old is believed to be Flores’ son. Neighbors say it was the teenager who went next door to call for help Sunday around 7:30 a.m.
A mother admitted to killing her three young children at their West Hills home with the help of a 16-year-old, police said Monday. Both the mother and juvenile have been arrested.
Police have not said how the children were killed. They suffered signs of trauma, but the investigation is ongoing and authorities are awaiting autopsy results to determine exactly how they died.
Neighbors say they called police Saturday night after Flores sat on their front porch for several hours acting erratically.
“She started to scream, asking for the Bible. ‘Where is my Bible?’ Then she said ‘You know, you know, I killed my kids.’ But they think she was crazy. The police, they think that she was crazy,” neighbor Blanca Hernandez said.
She says Flores was taken to the hospital and says police didn’t know where she came from and didn’t do a welfare check until the next morning when the 16-year-old called for help.
Neighbors say the family had only moved into the home about three months ago but often heard arguments and screaming, including the night before the children were found.
“I kept hearing ‘my family is abusing me’ and (I) just kept hearing screaming but I couldn’t make out what she was saying,” said neighbor Prisila Canales.
LAPD is investigating the death of three children at a West Hills home following a 911 call of an assault with a deadly weapon Sunday morning.
Neighbors stopped by, dropping flowers and paying their respects Monday, after learning what happened inside the West Hills home.
Edilson Hernandez Castro told local news that he played with the children when they first moved in, and said he hadn’t seen the kids in a while.
“When I heard of it, I got like worried for the kids, and I got really sad because we kinda got, had like a bonding time together,” Castro said.
“If you see somebody who you suspect is struggling, do something,” said West Hills resident Victoria Braund. “Say something to a family member. Say something to them. Just be proactive.”
And as the investigation continues, detectives say there are a lot of questions surrounding this case, but the one they really want answered is why did this happen.
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