73°F
weather icon Clear

3 children found dead, mother arrested, say Phoenix police

PHOENIX — A Phoenix woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing her three children after they 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 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.

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 unresponsive and pronounced dead after officers administered CPR and fire officials provided first aid.

Police were still interviewing the father and another 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.

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

LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
Sponsored By One Nevada Credit Union
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Police arrest 80 at Israel-Hamas war protest at UC Santa Cruz

Police in riot gear surrounded protesters at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to remove an encampment where pro-Palestinian demonstrations have blocked the main entrance to the campus.

2023 set a record for heat deaths. 2024 could be even deadlier

The death certificates of more than 2,300 people who died in the US last summer mention the effects of excessive heat, the highest number in 45 years of records.

Can Donald Trump be elected president as a convicted felon?

Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. Here’s a look at the unprecedented legal questions Trump’s situation presents.