Just days after Christmas, a 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of killing his parents and attempting to kill his 11-year-old sister in an attack at the family’s home near Miramonte, about 60 miles east of Fresno.
The attack occurred the night of Wednesday, Dec. 27, according to authorities at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Around 7:40 p.m., deputies responded to a 911 call about an injured person at a home on the 47000 block of Dunlap Road, a rural area in the mountains of Fresno County. The caller was the 14-year-old boy, who claimed that someone had broken into his house and attacked his mother, father and sister before fleeing the scene in a pickup truck. Another sibling, a 7-year-old boy, was also home when the attack occurred — but according to authorities, he was not injured and is now being cared for by other family members.
“Evidence ultimately showed that (the boy) had fabricated the story of the break-in and was responsible for using multiple weapons to attack his mom, his dad and his sister,” said Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni in a news conference earlier this week. “The tragedy of this situation is of such a high magnitude, because two children have lost their mother and father due to the actions by their other sibling.”
Though the boy’s sister experienced life-threatening injuries, she is undergoing surgery, being treated at a hospital, and is expected to survive. The boy’s parents — Lue Yang and Se Vang — were both 37 years old at the time of their death.
No motive has been determined, but Zanoni said physical evidence and interviews with the 11-year-old sister and other family members led authorities to determine the 14-year-old boy was the main suspect in the case. The boy had not had any previous contact with law enforcement or mental health officials, and before the attack, authorities had never received calls from the residence on Dunlap Road.
“We’re trying to figure out why mom and dad, why the sister, why not the 7-year-old brother,” said Zanoni, who said the investigation was still ongoing.
In the coming days, authorities will be speaking with the boy’s school and others close to him. They will also be searching for additional weapons and evidence, and the case is being reviewed by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
The 14-year-old is currently booked at a juvenile hall. He faces two charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.
“What I can tell parents is: If you have young children in your homes, lock up your weapons, keep them safe,” said Zanoni. “Be aware what your kids are going through … in this case, we can’t see any red flags on our end, and unfortunately we can’t talk to the parents. But we’re interviewing friends and family members, and we’ll see what we come up with there.”