A 'hero' 3-year-old girl kept her baby brother alive for as long as 3 days after their parents' apparent murder-suicide
Beatrice Christofaro
2h
Neighbors called the police.
(Screengrab/KTLA)
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a press release last week that detectives believe that a 46-year-old man shot his 38-year-old wife and then himself. They were later identified as David Kooros Parsa and Mihoko Koike Parsa.
Neither child has been identified publicly, though an LAPD captain declared the girl a "hero" for caring for her brother in such extreme circumstances, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
The children were found in their home on April 21, which officers think was about three days after the shootings.
Detective Dave Peteque on Tuesday told journalists that both children were found unharmed but were dehydrated and hungry, according to the Daily News.
Olivia and James Robinson, who live across the street, told KTLA, a local news channel, that they knew something was wrong when they found the girl alone downstairs, and that she told them her parents were hurt upstairs.
"She obviously was in bad condition because she reeked really bad of urine," Olivia Robinson said. "And she had more of a blank stare on her face. She was very, very quiet."
Tony Medina, another neighbor, told CBS Los Angeles that he took the girl to his house and gave her food while they waited for the police.
"She heard her mom crying, and then what really was kind of heart-wrenching was when she said she saw 'mommy was broken,'" Medina said.
Investigators said that neighbors entered the home after David Parsa's father called them, the Daily News reported.
A detective said that the father had already called the police earlier in the day, saying he was concerned and aware of his son's mental-health issues, but that officers decided not to enter the house during a welfare check, according to the Daily News.
Capt. Maureen Ryan told reportersthat during this time, "our little angel was able to keep herself and her brother alive."
"The baby is a miracle baby, and the little girl is a hero," she continued.
The children are in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, authorities said.
The children's grandfather told the British newspaper The Sun that they would be adopted by relatives in Texas.
"They're going to have fun," he said. "What's gone is gone, but what's here is the kids."
Beatrice Christofaro
2h
Neighbors called the police.
(Screengrab/KTLA)
- A 3-year-old girl in California kept her infant brother safe for days after what the police believe was their parents' murder-suicide.
- Investigators believe that their father, David Kooros Parsa, shot their mother, Mihoko Koike Parsa, and then turned the gun on himself.
- Neighbors told a local news outlet that they found the girl in "bad condition," reeking of urine.
- A Los Angeles Police Department captain called the girl a "hero" and her brother a "miracle baby."
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a press release last week that detectives believe that a 46-year-old man shot his 38-year-old wife and then himself. They were later identified as David Kooros Parsa and Mihoko Koike Parsa.
Neither child has been identified publicly, though an LAPD captain declared the girl a "hero" for caring for her brother in such extreme circumstances, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
The children were found in their home on April 21, which officers think was about three days after the shootings.
Detective Dave Peteque on Tuesday told journalists that both children were found unharmed but were dehydrated and hungry, according to the Daily News.
Olivia and James Robinson, who live across the street, told KTLA, a local news channel, that they knew something was wrong when they found the girl alone downstairs, and that she told them her parents were hurt upstairs.
"She obviously was in bad condition because she reeked really bad of urine," Olivia Robinson said. "And she had more of a blank stare on her face. She was very, very quiet."
Tony Medina, another neighbor, told CBS Los Angeles that he took the girl to his house and gave her food while they waited for the police.
"She heard her mom crying, and then what really was kind of heart-wrenching was when she said she saw 'mommy was broken,'" Medina said.
Investigators said that neighbors entered the home after David Parsa's father called them, the Daily News reported.
A detective said that the father had already called the police earlier in the day, saying he was concerned and aware of his son's mental-health issues, but that officers decided not to enter the house during a welfare check, according to the Daily News.
Capt. Maureen Ryan told reportersthat during this time, "our little angel was able to keep herself and her brother alive."
"The baby is a miracle baby, and the little girl is a hero," she continued.
The children are in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, authorities said.
The children's grandfather told the British newspaper The Sun that they would be adopted by relatives in Texas.
"They're going to have fun," he said. "What's gone is gone, but what's here is the kids."