Three Kids Found Stabbed To Death Were Living With Father Out Of Car, Pastor Says

Authorities have identified the three brothers found stabbed to death in a car yesterday, and say their father, who was also found stabbed but alive, is the main suspect. Friends and family say the father was going through hard times.The Los Angeles County coroner's office says the three victims were 10-year-old Luis Alfanso Fuentes, 9-year-old Juan Daniel Fuentes and 8-year-old Alexander Fuentes. Their bodies were discovered in a parked car on Wednesday morning, and their father, identified by relatives as Luis Fuentes, was found in the front seat suffering from a stab wound. The gruesome scene was discovered by John Sorrentino, who showed up to work at his furniture warehouse the car was parked in front of.

"I noticed a guy was all bloody as I walked up to the car," Sorrentino told ABC 7. "As I approached a little bit closer, I noticed a young boy on a passenger side rear seat crouched against the door, blood all over him, and his eyes were half open." Sorrentino called 9-1-1.

The killings came as surprise to family and friends, who say that Luis Fuentes was a loving father that came down on hard times. "He was a great father," said relative Luis Chanquin. "He loved his kids."

Fuentes had recently fallen into financial troubles, family members told NBC Los Angeles, and had also left the house and taken the three boys with him after getting into an argument with his wife. "He left the house, and she begged him not to take [the kids]," said Xiomara Mena, the boys' aunt.

Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez, a local pastor, told KTLA that Fuentes was unemployed and living out of the car with his kids when the stabbings took place.

Fuentes' wife, who is the stepmother of the three slain brothers, was safe at work yesterday when the boys were found, and her youngest child was at daycare. The biological mother of the boys died in 2008 of an aneurysm.

The LAPD has taken Fuentes into custody but not charged him yet. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition with a stab wound that was possibly self-inflicted.

Family members have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the funeral expenses of the three boys. "The three boys had their whole lives ahead of them and were like any child their age, playful and happy," writes relative René Chanquin. "We will miss them so very much and it hurts us to know they they will never live to see another Christmas or celebrate another birthday."

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.