'Hero' Girl, 4, Kept Her Baby Brother Alive for 3 Days After Parents' Murder-Suicide

"She obviously was in bad condition," the neighbor who found the girl told a local station

Chatsworth: 3-year-old kept herself, baby brother alive after parents' murder-suicide, police say
Photo: ABC7

Los Angeles police are hailing a 4-year-old girl as a hero for keeping her three-month-old brother alive for three days after their father fatally shot her mother before killing himself.

“Our little angel was able to keep herself and her brother alive,” Los Angeles police Capt. Maureen Ryan said at a press conference, Fox LA reports. “The baby is a miracle baby, and the little girl is a hero. She’s an absolute hero.”

Police say the two children were trapped in their home for three days after their parent’s murder-suicide on April 18, KTLA, ABC7 and CBS report. The deceased parents were identified as 46-year-old David Kooros Parsa and 38-year-old Mihoko Koike.

On April 21, the children were found by a couple who lived in the neighborhood and become concerned after police conducted a welfare check but found nothing suspicious, CBS reports. It’s unclear if police entered the residence.

When officers left the home, the couple went over to check on the children themselves, KTLA reports.

“I begged him not to go back in there, but he went back in there because they wanted to find the baby,” Olivia Robinson said of her husband, James, KTLA reports.

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Olivia Robinson told the station her husband found the girl alone downstairs and the boy upstairs.

“She obviously was in bad condition because she reeked really bad of urine,” Olivia Robinson said. “And she had more of a blank stare on her face. She was very, very quiet.”

James Robinson recalled the moment he realized something was wrong.

“I think she may have said they were sleeping, but she told me that they’re upstairs and they’re hurt,” James Robinson told KTLA. “Right there, we figured it’s just not good.”

Police believe Kooros shot his wife while she slept before killing himself on the morning of April 18. The children were uninjured.

Tony Medina, another neighbor, brought the 4-year-old to his home until police arrived.

“She heard her mom crying,” Medina told CBS. “And then what really was kind of heart-wrenching was when she said she saw ‘mommy was broken.'”

The LAPD said the children were placed in the car of child welfare officials, KTLA reports. The Department of Children’s Family Services could not be reached immediately by PEOPLE.

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