WEST HILLS, Calif. (CNS) - A woman and a juvenile believed to be her 16-year-old son were in custody Monday in connection with the deaths of her three preteen children in their West Hills home, with police saying the woman admitted to killing the victims.
Angela Dawn Flores, 38, was arrested Sunday -- Mother's Day -- and booked on suspicion of three counts of murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. She was being held in lieu of $6 million bail.
An unidentified 16-year-old suspect was booked on suspicion of one count of murder, and was being held without bail at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, the LAPD reported. Police declined to release any information on the juvenile suspect, but Fox11 -- citing law enforcement sources -- reported the teen was Flores' son.
Police went to the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard about 7:40 a.m. Sunday regarding "a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon suspect at a residence," according to the LAPD.
Officers found a 12-year-old girl and her 8-year-old twin brothers unresponsive, said Officer D. Orris at the LAPD Operations Center. Paramedics were called to the scene and determined the children were dead.
The cause of the deaths has not been disclosed by authorities. Their names were withheld.
"The children's mother, 38-year-old Angela Flores, and a 16-year-old subject were detained for further investigation," police said in a statement Monday. "During the subsequent investigation, Flores admitted to killing her children with the assistance of the 16-year-old subject."
Neighbors told reporters at the scene that the mother appeared to be acting erratically the night before, but said the family had only recently moved into the neighborhood and appeared normal. One woman told ABC7 that she remembers waking up in the middle of the night, hearing what she described as the sound of screaming.
Another neighbor told the Los Angeles Times that she heard Flores screaming late Saturday night, then saw her walk into a neighbor's yard with a Bible and lit candles.
Rob Hayes, a neighbor, told CBS2 that he was told the three children had been shot.
"How many guns do we need out there?" he rhetorically asked. It was unclear where he heard the allegation.
Detectives will present their investigation to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for consideration of filing charges, police said.
