2/2/2022 – 9:35 p.m.
Patricia Ortiz killed her three children and attempted to end her own life in her in Le Grand, California, apartment.
Around 2:10pm 911 was called after neighbors heard a man screaming that his children had been killed. Israel Ortiz arrived at Ortiz’s residence, to find his three children murdered in their beds and his wife in the bathtub with self-inflicted wounds.
Neighbors told news outlets they saw Israel walking back and forth shouting his children were dead and that he needed help. Neighbors had entered the house in an effort to save the children.
According to news outlets, they were instructed by a 911 operator to try CPR on the children, but when they tried, they found the children were cold to the touch.
When police arrived, they found Anna Ortiz Lara, 8, Matteo Ortiz Lara, 5, and Alexa Ortiz Lara, 3 deceased. Police found Ortiz in the bathtub; she had wounds on her wrists. They performed life-saving measures.
EMS brought her to the hospital to be treated for her wounds. Then, she was transferred to a mental hospital before being booked in the county jail.
News outlets reported that Ortiz and her husband and separated in Summer ’21; neighbors have seen her upset and offered to get her help.
Ortiz has been charged with: Intentionally killing the victim by means of lying and waiting; and three counts of murder.
Her next court date is February 4, 2022; Though prosecutors have not determined if Ortiz will face the death penalty, the presiding judge stated the case is being treated as if it were due to the nature of the crimes.
