Fathers mourn slain children in Arizona

June 29, 2005

The fathers of Adrienne Heredia's four children, slain together with their mother and her boyfriend Luis Rios, 35, are grieving their loss in Yuma, Arizona, but have little information from the police about the crime.

The children, son Danny Heredia III, 6; daughter, Inez Newman, 9; and two other sons - Andreas Crawford, 13, and Enrique Bedoya, 12, were found inside the home with their mother after police were called to the scene the night of June 24th on reports of guns shots. Mr. Rios was found in the backyard, still alive at the time but died later in hospital.

"It feels like a nightmare," said Danny Heredia Jr., father of Danny Heredia III. The fathers were contacted by authorities before the names were released to the press. Kenneth Crawford learned of the death of his sons Andreas and Enrique when he returned a trip to Los Angeles, and Inez's father William C. Newman Jr. was contacted at work.

Police released very few new details at their June 27th press conference on the case. They have a witness reporting a man fleeing the scene, and a sketch has been released. However, police are unsure if the crime is the work of a single individual, or if others were involved.

"This type of investigation, because of the complexity of it, is not going to take a few minutes," Police Chief William Robinson said.

Autopsies have been ordered, and the causes of death will not be released until they are completed.