Four nearly four days, two young children were trapped inside a California home after their father reportedly shot their mother to death, then turned the gun on himself.
Los Angeles Daily News reports that a shooting in a Chatsworth neighborhood was reported to police on Sunday afternoon, although neighbors said something likely happened days earlier, when they heard two loud pops on Wednesday night, possibly early Thursday morning.
Neighbor Tony Medina told the outlet that residents talking on a neighborhood app expressed concern that something may have happened inside the home, days before police discovered the grisly scene. Neighbors heard loud blasts and arguing, followed by all the lights left on inside the residence for days.
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department arrived to the home on Sunday, but without probable cause couldn’t enter the home. At around 4 p.m., a real estate agent opened the front door. Once inside, the officers spotted a 3-year-old girl and her 2-month-old brother. The toddler was hungry and dehydrated, while the baby was “barely breathing,” according to police.
Officers found the children’s mother, 38-year-old Mihoko Koike Parsa, deceased inside the residence, from a gunshot wound. The children’s father, 46-year-old David Parsa, was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted wound.
KTLA 5 reports that an investigation into the incident stated David Parsa shot his wife while she slept in an upstairs bedroom before turning the gun on himself.
Neighbors Olivia and James Robinson told the station they went inside the home and spotted the kids while the officers were performing a welfare check. Olivia Robinson said the toddler girl seemed in “bad condition.”
“She obviously was in bad condition because she reeked really bad of urine. And she had more of a blank stare on her face. She was very, very quiet.”
LAPD Detective Dave Peteque said that both children were found fully-clothed and unharmed. Authorities sent them to a local hospital for observation. The little girl “lit up” when her aunt and grandmother came to the hospital to see her, according to LA Daily News.
“Our little angel was able to keep herself and her brother alive,” LAPD Capt. Maureen Ryan during a news conference. “The baby is a miracle baby and the little girl is a hero. She’s an absolute hero.”
Investigators haven’t yet released a motive behind the shootings, but David Parsa’s father reportedly told police his son had issues with stress and depression.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
