2 Children killed by ongoing physical abuse…..
The Latest: 2 children killed by ongoing physical abuse
SALINAS, Calif. (AP) — The latest on the investigation into the deaths of two children whose bodies were found in a California storage locker (all times local):
Investigators say two young children found dead in a California storage unit died from ongoing physical abuse.4:25 p.m.
Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo said the 3-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy were likely killed in Salinas.
He says the suspects — 39-year-old Tami Huntsman and her 17-year-old male companion — are now in custody and will be charged with first-degree murder.
They were arrested after police responded to reports of a 9-year-old girl being abused. The girl is recovering from serious injuries and remains hospitalized.
Police found the bodies of the two other children on Sunday stuffed into a barrel at a storage unit in Redding.
The district attorney says he plans to charge both suspects with first-degree murder and prosecute the 17-year-old as an adult.
___ This item has been corrected to spell the first name of the suspect as Tami, instead of Tammy
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2:35 p.m.
Prosecutors say they plan to file first-degree murder charges against a woman and teenager in the death of two children found in a California storage locker.
The disclosure came at a news conference Thursday in Monterey County, where authorities believe the children — ages 3 and 6 — were killed.
Prosecutors say they will decide later whether to seek the death penalty.
Police have said the children were killed in a Salinas apartment around Thanksgiving then taken 300 miles to the locker in Redding.
The Associated Press typically does not identify abuse victims; it is not naming the woman and teenager because their relationship to the children is unclear.
The investigation began on Dec. 11 when a 9-year-old girl suffering from neglect and abuse was found near a house in Plumas County, where the woman had recently moved.
The woman and teen were charged with child abuse, torture and mayhem in that incident. Their lawyers have declined comment.
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7:30 a.m.
Authorities say two children found in a Northern California storage locker were killed more than 300 miles away in Central California.
Autopsies were performed on the bodies of the 3-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy Wednesday. Their names and the exact causes of their deaths were not released.
The Redding Record Searchlight reports (http://bit.ly/1lT28JB) Thursday that Shasta County District Attorney Stephen Carlton says evidence found during the autopsy showed “clearly” the children were killed in Monterey County.
A 39-year-old woman and her 17-year-old companion are under investigation in the deaths.
Carlton says the autopsy findings show that the children died around Thanksgiving while living in Salinas.
A spokesman for the Salinas Police Department says a news conference will be held there Thursday afternoon to discuss the case.