By Canadian Press

Phoenix police: 3 children found dead, mother arrested

Jan 21, 2020 | 10:35 AM

PHOENIX — A Phoenix woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing her three children, who were found dead inside the family home, authorities said Tuesday.

The 22-year-old mother, whose name has not been released, “has admitted to harming her three children, which caused their demise,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune told reporters outside the home.

“We are comfortable in saying now that the mother is responsible for the death of the children,” Fortune said.

The home is in a sparsely developed working class neighbourhood of southern Phoenix. The area is mostly made up of small older wooden houses and mobile homes. There is also a white Spanish-style church nearby. But there is some new construction, with a housing development of single-family homes priced at more than $500,000.

The mother was in the process of being booked on three counts of first-degree murder. There was no information on whether she had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

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A relative who lives at the residence called police late Monday. Responding officers found a 7-month-old girl, 2-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy in a living room area, authorities said. The children were pronounced dead after officers administered CPR and fire officials provided first aid.

Police were still interviewing the 30-year-old father and a 49-year-old relative who lives in the home, according to authorities. There was no obvious trauma to the children, and relatives indicated illness may have been a factor, police said.

They said the family had recently moved to the area from Oklahoma.

It’s too early to determine how the children died, police said. The investigation remains ongoing.

The Associated Press