Three young children were found dead in an East Los Angeles home Monday afternoon and their mother has been detained for questioning.
The incident was reported about 12:45 p.m. along the 600 block of Ferris Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
A family member in the home called authorities about two children who were possibly not breathing, Lt. Chuck Calderaro said.
Responding deputies found three children in a bedroom who were unresponsive and not breathing. Despite life-saving measures, the children were pronounced dead at the scene, Calderaro said. The children, two boys and a girl, were described as being under 3 years old.
It is unclear how they died, but their 28-year-old mother was taken into custody for questioning and is being considered a person of interest, Calderaro said.
Calderaro said there were no signs of trauma to the children, and it will be up to coroner’s officials to determine their causes of death.
Other family members live in the home, but the children’s father was not home at the time, the lieutenant said. Authorities are looking for him to notify him of the deaths, he added.
Calderaro said there was no indication of prior calls for service or suspected abuse at the home.
Neighbors told KTLA the family had a party at the home the day before, and everything seemed fine.
Homicide detectives responded to the area to investigate, conduct interviews and gather evidence.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed sheriff’s vehicles blocking a street near the scene.
Anyone with additional information about the incident can call the Sheriff’s Department’s homicide bureau at 323-890-5500.