After 24 Hours, Toddlers Tell Cops: Our Parents Are Dead

Authorities responded to an apartment in West Houston, Texas, on Monday, finding three toddlers who led officers to the bodies of the parents, dead in a suspected murder-suicide. Neighbors initially came upon the "hungry and thirsty" children, ages 1 to 3, outside the home, a resident of the apartment complex tells KTRK. "The oldest one is who hurts me the most because she was vivid in details of what she had witnessed with her parents." Police, who responded around 4:15pm local time on Monday, say the children ultimately led them to the bodies of the couple, both of whom were in their 20s.

Police say a 26-year-old man shot the mother of the children before turning the gun on himself. The woman had discussed leaving her husband, the neighbor, Deborah McMillan, tells KTRK, adding, "Her main thing is that she didn't want to leave because of the kids." The couple are believed to have been dead for a day before they were located by police, per People. The children are now staying with a grandparent, the outlet reports. McMillan's message to other victims of domestic violence like herself: "Don't think this is your only way to live, to stay in a situation like this ... I survived. I'm out. I'm healthy, living, loving."