California woman accused of killing her 3 young children
01/14/2022 1:55 pm PST
LE GRAND, Calif. (TCD) -- A 30-year-old mother was arrested this week for allegedly killing her three young children.
According to a press release from the Merced County Sheriff's Office, on Jan. 12, at approximately 2:10 p.m., deputies responded to the 13000 block of Brice Street to do a welfare check.
Upon arrival, the Sheriff's Office says they found three deceased children, 8-year-old Anna Ortiz Lara, 5-year-old Matteo Ortiz Lara, and 3-year-old Alexa Ortiz Lara. Deputies also reportedly located the suspect and mother, Patricia Ortiz, suffering from apparent self-inflicted wounds. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Ortiz's husband, the children's father, was reportedly the first to discover the crime scene.
Upon further investigation, the Sheriff's Office learned that Ortiz took the lives of her three children before trying taking her own life. Ortiz will be transported from the hospital to Merced County Jail and booked for three counts of murder.
Merced County Sheriff's Office Deputy Daryl Allen told KFSN-TV, "This is a big deal for that little town and this is something that people are going to be, I think, discussing and talking about and dealing with for a long time."
Allen added that Ortiz has been cooperative with the ongoing investigation.
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