VAN NUYS, CA – A somber mood enveloped a Van Nuys neighborhood Monday evening after the tragic discovery of a young child’s body in an apartment, leading to a homicide investigation and the arrest of the child’s mother.
Authorities arrived at the apartment complex on the 6800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard shortly after 5 p.m. following a report of a child not breathing. Paramedics and police officers discovered a 7-year-old girl unresponsive inside a second-story unit. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.
A neighbor, who preferred to remain anonymous, described the household as consisting of three individuals: a man, a woman, and the young girl. According to the neighbor, the man returned home to find the child lifeless and the woman conscious but suffering from visible injuries, including what appeared to be lacerations.
The neighbor recounted hearing the man frantically calling for help moments before law enforcement arrived. The child was reportedly found in the bathtub, a detail confirmed by the Los Angeles Police Department.
In a dramatic scene captured by a bystander’s cellphone, paramedics escorted the woman out of the building on a stretcher, her wrists restrained. A police officer closely followed as she was taken to a waiting ambulance.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office arrived on the scene to take custody of the child’s body, marking the beginning of a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
The child’s mother has been taken into custody, although the charges against her have not been specified. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the family or the events leading up to the incident to come forward.
This incident has left the community in shock, as neighbors and officials alike grapple with the heartbreaking loss of a young life and the unsettling details of the case.
As the investigation continues, the community remains on edge, hoping for answers and justice for the child whose life was tragically cut short.