Mother Of 3 Children Found Dead In Merced County Home Charged With Murder

LE GRAND (AP/CBS13) – The parent of 3 children recovered dormant wrong a cardinal California location has been charged with murder, officials said Thursday.

Deputies doing a payment cheque recovered the children, ages 8, 5 and 3, Wednesday successful a Merced County apartment. They besides recovered their mother, Patricia Ortiz, with what appeared to beryllium self-inflicted wounds, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said.

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Ortiz, 31, was taken to a infirmary and was expected to beryllium released Thursday and taken to jail, said Deputy Daryl Allen, bureau spokesman.

Allen said the children’s authoritative origin of decease is pending and that helium couldn’t sermon it further, oregon picture Ortiz’s injuries, owed to the ongoing investigation.

It wasn’t instantly known if Ortiz has an lawyer who could talk connected her behalf.

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The children were identified arsenic Anna Ortiz Lara, 8, Matteo Ortiz Lara, 5, and 3-year-old Alexa Ortiz Lara.

Neighbor Elias Vargas said helium was location erstwhile helium heard a antheral screaming and past saw him walking backmost and distant betwixt the flat analyzable and Le Grand Elementary, a fewer feet away.

“He said, ‘My kids were killed!’ truthful that’s erstwhile I realized thing superior happened determination astatine the house,” Vargas told KFSN-TV.

Le Grand is an unincorporated assemblage of 1,800 radical astir 12 miles (19 kilometers) eastbound of Merced.

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Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.