By Terri Vermeulen Keith
City News Service
VAN NUYS (CNS) – A woman who police say admitted killing three of her preteen children in the family’s West Hills home made her initial court appearance Wednesday, May 11, but her arraignment on three counts of murder was postponed.
Angela Dawn Flores, 38, was arrested Sunday — Mother’s Day — and remains jailed in lieu of $6 million bail. During a brief court appearance in Van Nuys, Flores agreed to the delay in her arraignment, which was rescheduled for Aug. 10.
Flores is accused of killing three of her children, identified by the coroner’s office as Natalie Flores, 12, Kevin Yanez, 10, and Nathan Yanez, 8. Authorities have not disclosed a cause of death, and coroner’s officials said there was a security hold on the case.
An unidentified 16-year-old suspect was also arrested and booked on suspicion of one count of murder, and was being held without bail at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police declined to release any information on the juvenile suspect, but Fox11 — citing law enforcement sources — reported the teen was Flores’ son.
It was unclear whether the teen was charged with a crime. The District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment on the teen’s status.
“We all grieve for these children,’’ District Attorney George Gascón said Tuesday in a statement announcing the charges against the mother. “The loss of their young lives is a tragedy that has affected our entire community.
“My prosecutors are working to hold accountable those responsible for their deaths.’’
No indication has been given about a possible motive for the killings.
Police responded to the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard at about 7:40 a.m. Sunday regarding “a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon suspect at a residence,’’ according to the LAPD.
Officers found the children unresponsive, the LAPD reported.
Paramedics were called to the scene and determined the children were dead.
“The children’s mother, 38-year-old Angela Flores, and a 16-year-old subject were detained for further investigation,’’ police said in a statement Monday.
“During the subsequent investigation, Flores admitted to killing her children with the assistance of the 16-year-old subject.’’
Neighbors told reporters at the scene the mother appeared to be acting erratically the night before, but said the family had only recently moved into the neighborhood and appeared normal.
One woman told ABC7 she remembers waking up in the middle of the night, hearing what she described as the sound of screaming.
Another neighbor told the Los Angeles Times that she heard Flores screaming late Saturday night, then saw her walk into a neighbor’s yard with a Bible and candles, which she lit.