A California man was arrested in connection with the deaths of his two young sons in Mexico, authorities said, the man, identified as Matthew Taylor, checked into a hotel near Tijuana.
Man arrested in connection with the death of his 2 young children
The man, identified by Mexican authorities as Matthew Taylor, 40, of Santa Barbara,California, checked into a hotel near Tijuana, Mexico with the two children on Saturday,
On Monday at 2:54 a.m. local time, Taylor allegedly left the hotel with his children, a 3-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy, and returned at 6:33 a.m.
that day without them.
She left the hotel about three hours later, according to Zamora’s office, which shared security footage allegedly showing Taylor entering the hotel with the children and then leaving without them.
Mexican authorities responded to a 911 call around 7:30 a.m.
Monday reporting the discovery of the children’s bodies near a ranch about 20 miles from the hotel, authorities said.
The girl was found stabbed 12 times in the chest and the boy stabbed 17 times. A wooden stake believed to be the suspected murder weapon was found at the scene.
U.S. authorities arrested Taylor as he attempted to cross the border at the San Ysidro Bridge.
Taylor, who authorities say owns a surf school in Santa Barbara, is currently in federal custody amid the ongoing investigation, according to the FBI.
The children’s mother had reported the three missing after approximately 24 hours, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
“The mother was concerned for the well-being of her husband and two children,” the department said in a statement Tuesday.
The U.S. consulate is also helping family members identify and claim the bodies of the two children, Zamora said.
