On Friday, authorities announced that a mother was detained on suspicion of murder in connection with the tragic incident involving twin 3-year-old twins. One of the boys died after ingesting or being exposed to “an unknown substance” in Canoga Park, while the other is in serious condition in the hospital.
According to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 20000 block of Sherman Way shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Thursday in response to a radio call regarding an investigation into a child’s death.
The mother “discovered them unresponsive,” according to the press statement.
A firefighter-paramedic team arrived on the scene and took the two kids to the hospital, where the Los Angeles Police Department reported that one of the children had died. After some investigation, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner determined that the boy’s identity was Josiah James.
Based on initial findings, the children “had ingested, or been exposed to, an unknown substance,” according to the police statement.
After her mother, Jestice James, was taken into custody, she was booked on charges of murder. She was ordered to post a $2 million bond. Further investigation into the other residents of the home has been deemed unnecessary by the Los Angeles Police Department.
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The boys resided at the Palm Vista Apartments, a Los Angeles city-run affordable housing complex that contains certain units reserved for persons facing homelessness.
According to the building’s occupants, the mother has a history of substance abuse.
One of the residents, Christopher Burko, claimed he tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the three-year-olds ABC7 stated.
“They were both laying there lifeless,” he pointed out.
The Abused Child Unit and Juvenile Division of the Police Department are looking into the matter.
