A California personal trainer described as “mellow” and “reliable” was arrested after two of his children were found decapitated at the family’s home, authorities said.
Maurice Taylor Sr., 34, was taken into custody Friday on suspicion of the gruesome murders and is being held on a $2 million bond.
Los Angeles County firefighters responding to reports of a possible gas leak at Taylor’s home in Lancaster just before 8 a.m. Friday discovered the headless bodies of a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The bodies were found in separate bedrooms and were said to have “lacerations and stab wounds,” according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department. It’s unclear how long the victims had been dead.
The children’s parents, who were at home at the time, were both detained for questioning, although the mother has not been arrested.
Two other children also inside the home were apparently uninjured but taken to hospital as a precaution.
Reports of a gas leak at the home which led authorities to investigate were made by clients of Taylor’s who had became concerned after struggling to contact him.
Described as a “mellow” and “reliable” personal trainer, Taylor had been teaching his clients virtually from home due to the pandemic.
One client who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Times she sensed something wasn’t right when he failed to send a Zoom link for their next scheduled session.
“I knew they weren’t out of town,” she said. “They didn’t have money to travel.”
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris suggested that the economy, school closures and being stuck at home together at close quarters during the pandemic may have created a stressful environment for the family.
“The social fabric of the country and the world has been shredded, and we are starting to see the aftermath,” Parris told the Times.
“What I’m seeing is more and more people feeling desperate, and that can only have one result.”