A Los Angeles personal fitness trainer, described as “mellow” and “reliable” by a client, is behind bars on suspicion of murdering his children.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the L.A. County Fire Department arrived at a home off of Century Circle a little before 8 a.m. on Friday after several of Maurice Taylor Sr.’s clients called about a possible gas leak at the residence. Once inside, they found the deceased bodies of a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
Deputies arrived and noted that both children had “lacerations and stab wounds.”
The Mayor of Lancaster, R. Rex Perris, said both of the children were decapitated, according to CBS 2.
“It was pretty brutal,” Perris said.
According to Lt. Brandon Dean, the children’s bodies were in separate bedrooms. Two other children were also in the home but appeared uninjured. They were taken to an area hospital for a medical evaluation.
Taylor, who police said was the father of the children, was arrested on suspicion of murder. The children’s mother, who was also in the home, was taken in for questioning but hasn’t been charged.
Homicide investigation underway in the 25300 block of Century Circle in Lancaster. [BRYAN HALL] Read more at: https://theavtimes.com/2020/12/04/two-people-dead-in-lancaster-investigation-underway/
Posted by The Antelope Valley Times on Friday, December 4, 2020
According to police, there wasn’t a gas leak at the home. The suspect’s clients from a Santa Monica physical therapy and fitness center told police that they not heard from him in a while and became worried when they couldn’t reach him.
Attorney Howard Kern, who was one of Taylor’s clients, said he told police he was concerned something may have happened inside Taylor’s home.
“I said, ‘I’m concerned…We are concerned about a possible gas leak. There are four children and two adults — and we are concerned about their safety.’”
Another client, who said Taylor had been working from home due to the pandemic, called him a “mellow and reliable,” while another client said she feared something was wrong when Taylor failed to show up for scheduled Zoom meetings.
“We were afraid of carbon monoxide poisoning, or they were all dead from falling asleep,” the woman said.
Kern added that he was baffled by the incident and called Taylor “the nicest person.”
“Think of the nicest person that you know, then multiply that by five,” Kern said. “He worked so hard to support himself. Unfortunately, we don’t know enough to say what happened or what didn’t happen.”
Meanwhile, neighbors described Taylor’s home as “strange.” A homeowner that lives near the Taylor residence said he was surprised to hear that four children lived in the home, adding that he only saw two children in the years that the Taylor family lived there.
”I remember that house just seemed weird anytime I was there,” the neighbor said. “I never saw anybody come out of that house. It almost seemed like the windows were all blacked out.”
Taylor remains behind bars on a $2 million bond. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
