(TEMPE, Ariz.) Two children were found dead at an apartment Saturday morning, and their mother was arrested on suspicion of murder following their discovery, azfamily reported.
Sgt. Steve Carbajal with the Tempe Police Department said a woman flagged down an officer at the Apache station and brought them to her apartment on Mill Avenue, north of the U.S. 60 Freeway.
Police said the woman, identified as 40-year-old Yui Inoue, spoke primarily in Japanese.
On arrival, officers found the bodies of a 9-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy. Authorities said there were signs of physical trauma.
Inoue was detained and questioned by detectives. She was arrested afterward and police said she will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
"Children of 9 and 7 should be protected by their parents and for something this traumatic to happen to them and what they must have gone through prior to that or during that is something we can't eve n quantify," Carbajal said.
Carbajal said Inoue told officers that she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children. Investigators learned that officers were at the same apartment earlier for a domestic fight between Inoue and her husband.
Nobody was arrested in connection to the fight and both kids were in their beds when officers left.
During interviews with authorities and a Japanese interpreter, police said Inoue claimed there was an argument between her and her father about money the previous night before her husband left the apartment.
Inoue told detectives she went to sleep with the children and woke up around 4:30 a.m. with blood on her hands and arms, police said. She also told police she didn't believe she killed the children, but couldn't remember.
Both children were students at Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School, according to the Kyrene School District. The district provided a statement:
“Kyrene School District is devastated to learn of the loss of two Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School students. While law enforcement focuses on the investigation, Kyrene is focused on supporting the Cielo community. The District has a team of professionals, trained to address the needs of students, parents and school personnel. Counselors will be available on campus, throughout this week and beyond, for any student or staff member in need of support. We ask for compassion for our Cielo community during this time of healing.”