October 9, 2020
PLACENTIA, California—Police have identified the man who they say stabbed his twin 9-year-old daughters to death and then killed himself as 44-year-old Timothy Takehara, according to ABC 7.
Authorities say Takehara stabbed his daughters in their home Wednesday night in the 400 block of Swanson Avenue. Takehara’s wife, who is the mother of the girls, and his mother were both home at the time.
The two girls were in third grade at Golden Elementary School.
“Our thoughts are with the students’ family, friends, and loved ones as they cope with this tremendous personal loss,” Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District stated.
Police released the heartbreaking 911 call of the girls’ mother reporting the stabbing.
“My husband just stabbed my children,” an irate woman tells the 911 operator.
“With what, ma’am?”
“I don’t know—a sharp object.”
“How many of them?”
“Two. There’s two. I have twin girls.”
Police officers responded to the home at 12:38 am after the call.
The twin girls were found in the living room of the home and Takehara’s body was found on a sidewalk across the street, according to ABC 7.
Placentia police say they responded to the residence in the past. Back in September 2019, there was a verbal argument between adults reported at the home. Officers responded to the call and investigated the incident, but made no arrests and say no injuries were reported.
Placentia neighbors say they remember the past incident. “Something was going on, something negative was going on with the family, and it’s sad that nobody picked it up and read what was going on and tried to help them,” neighbor Billy Vayda stated to ABC 7.
Authorities are still trying to determine the motive of the murders.
“Oh behalf of the men and women of the Placentia Police Department, we are truly heartbroken by the tragic events that occurred last night,” stated Police Chief Darin Lenyi. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their family and we will continue to investigate to try and make sense of this horrific crime.”
Another neighbor, Natascha Vayda stated she’s never seen the family outside the house.
“I’ve never seen the male out of the house, I never see the kids out of the house and they never played with the neighbors out there,” she said. “A lot of the kids on the street are super interactive with each other, so I didn’t even know who they were.”
Feature Images via The Sun & ABC 7