New details have been released in the horrific death of three children in Phoenix.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety said they have history with the mother who allegedly killed her three children.
DCS said the woman, who family identified as Octavia Rogers, was first investigated in 2010. DCS received allegations of a child with a small abrasion on his head. Investigators were unable to locate any family members to question.
In 2011, DCS investigated a report of child neglect due to marijuana odor at the home. Rogers was referred to a family services program but she refused to attend.
This year, DCS checked a report the mother gave birth to a baby exposed to marijuana. The investigators determined the children were safe and referred Rogers for services. She decided not to participate in the program.
DCS Director Gregory McKay released the following statement: "When a child is murdered, it's common to ask if something could have been done to prevent such a tragedy. At DCS, we ask ourselves those questions because we take the responsibility of protecting children very seriously. But our powers are limited; we cannot predict the future; and people, can at times, do awful things.”
The three children were found dead in their house from stab wounds on Thursday.
A man reportedly called police after he returned home, near 23rd Avenue and Greenway Road, around 12:30 a.m. Thursday to find his 29-year-old sister talking irrationally in the garage.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump says the woman "was talking about religion and having found the answer to her problems."
She proceeded to lock him out of the house before locking herself in a bathroom, police say.
The brother forced his way in and found her suffering from multiple serious, self-inflicted stab wounds to her neck and stomach. She also reportedly tried to drown herself.
Police say they were alerted that the woman had three sons, whom police later found dead inside the home. Two boys, 8-year-old Jaikare Rahaman and 5-year-old Jeremiah Adams, were found in a closet. Two-month-old Avery Robinson was found inside a suitcase in the same closet, police say. All had suffered multiple stab wounds.
The mother tried to harm herself and was transported to the hospital, she is expected to survive.
