Police Conduct Death Investigation At Scene In Downey
DOWNEY (CBSLA.com) — Police arrived at what they were calling the scene of a death investigation in Downey on Wednesday night.
Officers were called to the scene, located at Old River Street rd. and Neo st., shortly after 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
The initial officers who arrived at the scene were quick to call in additional officers. Investigators confirmed at 10:40 p.m. that a man, woman and toddler were found dead. The gender of the one-year-old child has not been disclosed.
Detectives confirmed they believed the scene was likely the result of a murder-suicide. Authorities say the woman and child were found in a bathtub, and the man was found in a bedroom.
The Downey police department has at least several crime scene investigators on the scene.
The unit in question is an apartment, and officers are calling the scene "criminal in nature".
Neighbors say they had seen family members coming out of the building earlier Wednesday evening.
"I ran outside, and I saw this lady crying in the alley, and that's when I saw the cops, and the lady apparently had blood on herself," neighbor Marilyn Marquez said. "It looked like she was carrying a baby."
Another neighbor also saw the woman.
"I went running back to my house and I told my mom 'there's a girl screaming, help', and she was carrying a baby, and it looked like she had blood," neighbor Christina Pena said.
Downey Police Lieutenant Mark McDaniel says family became concerned after being unable to contact the apartment's residents after two days, and came by to check on them.
"It's two family members who hadn't heard from the relatives in about two days, (they) had some concern of their welfare," Lt. McDaniel said. "Both came over, (but) the door was locked. They went to the landlord, who gave them a key. They went inside, and discovered the victims, and then they called the Downey Police Department."
