Three boys aged eight to 12 found stabbed to death inside parked car with man believed to be their father who is in critical condition

  • A passer-by found the car containing the dead boys and critically-injured man and called police Wednesday morning 
  • Police believe that the three boys were brothers and that the man injured in the vehicle is possibly their father 
  • Law enforcement sources told NBC News that the father is believed to have stabbed the children before trying to commit suicide 
  • The identities of the four have not been revealed  

By Associated Press and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 12:09 EST, 9 September 2015 | Updated: 17:58 EST, 9 September 2015

Three brothers have been found dead inside a car parked outside of an elementary school in south Los Angeles, while a man found with them is in critical condition. 

The three victims are believed to be brothers between the ages of eight and 12. The man found with them is believed to by their father, but police are still trying to confirm the relationship. 

Los Angeles Police Officer Aareon Jefferson says the children had stab wounds but it was too early to determine whether that was what caused their deaths. The man was discovered suffering a stab wound to his chest. 

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Three boys under the age of 12 were found stabbed to death inside a parked car in south Los Angeles on Wednesday

Three boys under the age of 12 were found stabbed to death inside a parked car in south Los Angeles on Wednesday

At a press conference, police officials said that they believe they have a suspect in custody. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck called it a 'gruesome sight' and said that the children had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Law enforcement sources told NBC News that it was the father who stabbed the three children before attempting to commit suicide by stabbing himself. 

A knife was recovered at the scene and there is no active search for more suspects.  

A passer-by reported finding the man and children in the car Wednesday morning around 7:15am on the 300 block of East 32nd Street.

The car was found parked outside of Dolores Huerta Elementary School. Police say the boys did not attend the school, but where registered elsewhere in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Police say its believed that the boys' mother is deceased, but that they have a step-mother who is unharmed and now in the process of being interviewed. There was no record of a custody dispute over the children. 

A fund is being set up to help the children's family, according to City Councilman Curren Price.

The man found in the car with the boys is believed to be their father, but police have not yet confirmed the relationship. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition 

The man found in the car with the boys is believed to be their father, but police have not yet confirmed the relationship. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition 

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