A California mother allegedly killed her three children on Saturday before leading police on a manhunt that ended with her arrest.
The victims’ father, Erik Denton, told the Los Angeles Times that Liliana Carrillo, 30, struggled with postpartum depression for years. Denton wrote in court papers that Carillo talked about suicide and self-medicated with marijuana.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Los Angeles County police and the county’s child welfare agency were aware of Denton’s warnings.
On February 26, Carrillo’s mother arrived from Los Angeles and picked up her daughter and the three children from Tulare County. Carrillo allegedly took her children’s legal documents; she told Denton that “she could go to Mexico,” then reportedly refused to tell him where his children were for several days.
Denton’s cousin, Dr. Teri Miller, said she and Denton told LAPD and the DCF about Carrilo’s psychosis and how she was hiding in Los Angeles with the children.
Denton and Miller claimed they spoke to Los Angeles County social workers on several instances about Carrillo’s behavior. The pair told the news outlet that a social worker made contact with Carrillo, but they could not provide the specific date when the visit occurred or what the visit entailed.
“We kept bringing up all the right red flags about her behavior,” Miller said. “The judge in Porterville listened and read all the information, but everyone in L.A. kept pushing it off on someone else.”
Fox Los Angeles reports that Denton ultimately obtained the emergency order in March from a Tulare County judge. The emergency order required that visits between Carrillo and her children occur at a facility in Porterville, Fox Los Angeles reports.
Denton and Carrillo later met at a police station where Denton demanded his three children. An officer informed her of the consequences of violating the court order, but Carrillo allegedly continued to do so.
After learning of Carrillo’s whereabouts, Denton and his cousin said they begged Los Angeles police to take her to a mental health facility for treatment, as she posed a threat to herself and her three children.
Their allegations contradict the police department’s claims that they were not aware of Carrillo’s behavior.
Additionally, Miller told The Times that she believes there is bodycam footage showing her begging two officers in a parking lot to find Carrillo because she “might kill the kids.” Miller also said a supervisor was called to the scene.
On April 10, the pair’s three children — a 6-month-old, a 2-year-old, and a 3-year-old — were found deceased at an apartment in Reseda. Two of the children were possibly drowned while all three had injuries that suggested they were bludgeoned, CBS News reports.
Carrillo was expected to give the children to Denton a day after the apparent slaying occurred. A hearing in their ongoing custody case was also scheduled for the following Wednesday.
After crashing her vehicle 10 miles outside Delano, Carrillo allegedly carjacked a driver who offered her assistance. Police ultimately apprehended her near Ponderosa.
Carrillo remains jailed on suspicion of second-degree robbery. Authorities have not released an official cause of death for her three children.
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[Featured image: Liliana Carrillo/GoFundMe]
