Photo: Getty Images
VAN NUYS (CNS) - A woman who police say admitted killing three of her preteen children in the family's West Hills home, possibly with the help of her 16-year-old son, was charged today with murder.
Angela Dawn Flores, 38, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning in Van Nuys on three counts of murder.
She was arrested Sunday -- Mother's Day -- and remains jailed in lieu of $6 million bail.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office on Tuesday identified the children who died as Natalie Flores, 12, Kevin Yanez, 10, and Nathan Yanez, 8.
The cases have been placed on a security hold, and no other information was being released, including their cause of death, according to the coroner's office.
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, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police declined to release any information on the juvenile suspect, but Fox11 -- citing law enforcement sources -- reported the teen was Flores' son. It was unclear whether the teen was charged with a crime.
``We all grieve for these children,'' District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement announcing the charges against the mother. ``The loss of their young lives is a tragedy that has affected our entire community. My prosecutors are working to hold accountable those responsible for their deaths.''
No indication has been given about a possible motive for the killings.
Police responded to the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard at 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 the children unresponsive, the LAPD reported.
Paramedics were called to the scene and determined the children were dead.
``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 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 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 candles, which she lit.