3-year-old girl kept infant brother alive for days after parents murder-suicide: LAPD

Updated
3-year-old girl kept infant brother alive for days after parents murder-suicide: LAPD

Authorities are praising a little girl's heroic actions that may have saved her infant brother's life following their parents' murder-suicide earlier this month.

David Kooros Parsa, 46, and Mihoko Koike, 38 were found dead from gunshots wounds in the upstairs bedroom of their Chatsworth, Calif., home on April 14, the Associated Press reports.

Parsa is believed to have shot his wife while she was lying in bed before turning the weapon on himself, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The pair's two children — a 3-year-old girl and a 2-month old boy —were uninjured during the incident.

Investigators have now revealed that the young girl managed to keep herself and her baby brother alive for "several days" after their parents' deaths.

"Our little angel was able to keep herself and her brother alive," Los Angeles Police Capt. Maureen Ryan told reporters. "The baby is a miracle baby and the little girl is a hero. She's an absolute hero."

Olivia and James Robinson, who live across the street from the deceased pair's home, became concerned after police conducted an initial welfare check on Parsa and Koike early on April 14, KCBS reports.

The LAPD confirmed that nothing suspicious was initially found at the residence during the check, which was performed at the request of another family member. It is not clear if officers entered the home or merely knocked on the front door.

The Robinsons, who said they heard the couple arguing on the night of April 10, went to the home hours after noticing the welfare check, entered the residence and found the 3-year-old girl "in bad condition," KTLA reports.

"She reeked really bad of urine and she had more of a blank stare on her face," Olivia Robinson told the station. "She was very, very quiet.”

When asked where her parents were, James Robinson claims the girl told him "they're upstairs and they're hurt."

"Right there, we figured it’s just not good," he recalled.

First responders took the children to a nearby hospital for observation. Both were subsequently placed in the custody of the Department of Children’s Family Services.

Detectives are investigating the shooting. No motive has yet been revealed.

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