LOS ANGELES — An East Los Angeles mother has been charged with murder in the Monday deaths of her three children, all under the age of 5.
Sandra Chico, 28, faces three counts each of murder and assault on a child causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators have not released a cause of death in the slayings, but Chico’s family members told KABC that she suffocated the children and then attempted suicide.
The children, who were pronounced dead in the family’s Ferris Avenue home on Monday after a family member called 911 to report they were unresponsive, have been identified as 4-year-old Mia Camila Rodriguez, 3-year-old Mason Mateo Rodriguez and 1-month-old Milan Mateas Rodriguez, KTLA reported.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Tuesday that there were no signs of trouble at the home and confirmed that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services had had no involvement with the family.
“There was no forewarning of any kind. There [were] no repeated calls for service. DCFS was not involved. There [were] no allegations of child abuse. This was (an) out-of-the-blue tragedy,” Villanueva told KABC.
Meanwhile, Chico’s arraignment has been postponed until mid-July, and her bail was increased from $2 million to $6 million, the TV station reported.
“In an instant, three innocent children were taken from us and we are crestfallen,” LA County District Attorney George Gascón said in a prepared statement. “Nothing is more heartbreaking than the tragic betrayal of a parent failing to protect their children.”
According to KABC, some of Chico’s relatives asked the public during a Tuesday night candlelight vigil at the family home to resist passing judgment on the young mother who had been dealing with mental health issues.
“I won’t criticize her,” the children’s paternal grandmother said in Spanish, noting that their father was at work during the incident.
“I wish her well. She is also a victim of her illness, which is depression. And even more so during these times that people couldn’t go out. She never went out for anything,” she said.
Click here to see the online fundraiser established to help the family pay for the children’s funeral expenses.