Arizona mom smothered her 3 kids while singing to them, documents say

An Arizona woman accused of killing her three children Monday night she smothered them one at a time and even sang to one of them she suffocated them, according to court records.

Rachel Henry, 22, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, the Arizona Republic reported. According to a probable cause document released Tuesday, police said Henry admitted to killing her 3-year-old son, 1-year-old daughter and 7-month-old daughter, the newspaper reported.

The probable cause document recounted how Henry allegedly smothered her children, one by one, before lining up their bodies on a living room couch, KTVK reported. It did not, however, reveal a motive for the killings, the television station reported.

According to the police report, Henry said she smothered her 1-year-old daughter first, the Republic reported. Henry wrestled with the child before placing her hand over the girl's mouth. As the child kicked in protest, Henry's 3-year-old son yelled at her to stop and tried to punch her in the face, according to the report.

After the girl stopped breathing, Henry left her body in a back bedroom, according to the Republic.

Henry then chased the boy but was interrupted when her husband and aunt returned home, KTVK reported. After a while, Henry took the boy into a back bedroom and changed his underpants, according to the report. She then put the boy on the floor, "straddled him with one of her legs and placed her hand over his nose and mouth," before using her weight on the boy to smother him.

According to the police report, Henry “described singing to the 3-year-old as he scratched her chest and pinched her.”

Police said Henry then gave her 7-month-old daughter a bottle. After the child fell asleep, Henry “sang her a song as she placed her hand over her face and impeded her breath,” according to the probable cause document.

According to the probable cause document, Henry then placed all of the children on the living room couch to make it appear they were taking a nap, KTVK reported. She reportedly did not tell any other family members what happened, the television station reported.

Police and firefighters were later called to the home, and all three children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Henry is being held in lieu of $3 million bail. She is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, the Republic reported.

About the Author