Report: Boy Tried to Stop Mom From Killing Baby Sister

Then Rachel Henry allegedly killed 3-year-old, her 3rd young child, all reportedly with her bare hands
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 22, 2020 9:30 AM CST
Mom Allegedly Killed 3 Kids Using Only Her Hands
This Tuesday booking photo shows Rachel Henry, 22, who has been arrested on suspicion of killing her three children.   (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP)

The 22-year-old mother arrested in the murders of her three children in Phoenix smothered each with her bare hands, according to court records. The children's father and another woman described as an "aunt" were out Monday when Rachel Henry first smothered her 1-year-old daughter—initially described as a 2-year-old—in a bedroom while her 3-year-old son tried to punch his mother in protest, reads a probable cause statement released Tuesday, per the Arizona Republic. After the infant stopped kicking, Henry chased the boy but was interrupted by the return of the adults, per the report, which doesn't mention a motive. Some time later, Henry took the boy to a bedroom, straddled him, and covered his nose and mouth with her hands, the report states. It notes Henry sang to her son as he scratched and pinched her.

She also sang as she smothered her 7-month-old daughter, with the adults in the next room, according to the report, which notes she then posed the bodies "on the living room couch as if they were taking a nap," per KTVK. Police say Henry admitted to the killings after a 911 call came around 7:20pm. Family members reported that she'd been "acting strange" for days, per the report. At a Tuesday court appearance, prosecutors noted Henry—who lost custody of her children while living in Oklahoma—has a history of methamphetamine addiction, though it's not believed she was under the influence at the time. "I'm not getting released?" Henry asked the judge, who set bail at $3 million, per the Republic. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to get any money," she added. "I don't have a job or anything." Her next court date is Tuesday. (More murder stories.)

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