A woman in Southern California who allegedly stabbed her three young children to death was allegedly ‘bad’ for months and the father of the children was ‘crushed’ after pleading with child services to get her help.
LOS ANGELES MOTHER IS ATTACKED AFTER THREE TODDLERS ARE FOUND AFTER DEATH
Investigators are trying to determine a motive after the bodies of the children, ages 3, 2 and 6 months, were discovered by their grandmother when she returned to work from their apartment in Los Angeles on Saturday morning, reports the Los Angeles Times.
According to police, the scene was so gruesome that some of the initial respondents are now receiving counseling.
The children’s mother, 30-year-old Liliana Carrillo, was arrested hours later in Tulare County, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, after she struck a massive yacht.
She drove from the scene of the killing in her car, but eventually ended up in a quarrel that caused her to abandon the car and hijack another vehicle, LAPD Lieutenant Raul Jovel said.
LAPD Person of interest
(LAPD)
The children’s father, Erick Denton, ‘was devastated’, according to his cousin Teri Miller, who spoke to Fox 11 in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Denton has struggled for months with Carrillo, his ex-girlfriend, over custody of the boy and two girls and has repeatedly reached out to the Department of Children and Family Services and police because he knew Carrillo needed “help,” Miller said.
“Liliana was very sick, and it’s not – she was not herself, and it’s been a few months since she’s been bad,” Miller told Fox 11 LA.
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According to Denton’s family members, he received an emergency order in March giving custody of the children, but claiming he received no further help. Neighbors reportedly said the children were mostly seen with their grandmother, who they said was the primary guardian.
“He’s also frustrated with the system because the system let them down,” Miller said. “The system has failed these children.”
Fox Best, Paul Best, contributed to this report.