LANCASTER, Calif. – A man has been arrested for the murders of his 12-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter in Lancaster, California, which is north of Los Angeles.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that fire personnel located the victims when they were called to the family's home to investigate a possible gas leak Friday morning.
Detectives say the children both appeared to have suffered from lacerations and stab wounds.
The mayor of Lancaster, Rex Parris, confirmed to KABC and the L.A. Times that the children were both found decapitated. He told the newspaper that “it was pretty brutal.”
Officials tell the L.A. Times that the victims were found in separate bedrooms in the home and it’s unclear how long they had been dead.
At the home, the sheriff’s department says there were also two adults and two other children who were questioned by homicide investigators. The L.A. Times identified the two adults as the victims’ parents.
The children's father, Maurice Taylor Sr., was later arrested on murder charges and booked into jail, where he’s being held with a $2 million bail.
The L.A. Times reports the suspect is a personal trainer who acquaintances described as being “mellow” and “reliable.”
Detectives say they’re continuing to investigate the murders. Anyone with information about incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s department’s homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call Crime Stoppers by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477).