PLACENTIA — The Placentia Police Department on Oct. 8 released the following update on a murder-suicide that left three family members dead:
“On Oct. 7, 2020, at approximately 12:38 a.m., Placentia PD officers responded to the 400 block of Swanson Avenue regarding an unknown trouble with two children stabbed. The mother of the two children called 911 and stated that her husband had just stabbed the children.
“The first Placentia PD officer arrived on scene within 3 minutes and 9 seconds and located an adult male subject lying on grass on a front yard in the 400 block of Swanson Avenue.
“The male, who was identified as Timothy Takehara, 41 years of age, was bleeding profusely. Additional arriving officers located two female children, 9 years of age, bleeding inside of a residence. There were two additional adult females located inside of the residence who were unharmed. These two adult females were identified as the mother and grandmother of the children.
“Placentia Fire and Life Safety personnel arrived on scene and with the assistance of Placentia PD officers began life-saving measures on the injured. Tragically, all three were pronounced deceased at the scene.
“Placentia PD officers responded to this residence in September 2019 reference a verbal argument between adult residents. Officers conducted an investigation and at the conclusion, no arrests were made. All residents, adults and children, were unharmed during this call of service.”
Chief Darin Lenyi said, “On behalf of the men and women of the Placentia Police Department, we are truly heartbroken by the tragic events that occurred last night. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their family and we will continue to investigate to try and make sense of this horrific crime.”
Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Placentia Police at (714) 993-8164. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS or on their website http://occrimestoppers.org.
A candlelight vigil was held Thursday in Placentia’s Tri-City Park, with police officers and friends of the slain girls among the participants.
The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District released the following statement:
“PYLUSD officials were made aware of the tragic loss of two third-grade students who attend Golden Elementary School this morning … Our thoughts are with the students’ family, friends, and loved ones as they cope with this tremendous personal loss.
“Limited details of the deaths will be made public as the district wishes to respect the privacy of the family and support the integrity of Placentia Police Department’s ongoing investigation at this time.
“Additional support staff, including grief counselors, will be on campus over the next several days to assist those who may be impacted by this tragedy. Parents who require additional support for their children at this time are encouraged to contact their home school’s front office to schedule time to speak with a counselor if necessary.
“In PYLUSD, the health, safety, and well-being of our students and families is the district’s top priority.”