Newly released body camera footage from the Phoenix Police Department offers a harrowing look into the events of January 20, 2020, when officers responded to a home where three young children were found unresponsive and later declared deceased. The children's mother, Rachel Henry, is currently facing charges for their murders.
In the distressing video, officers arrive at the scene near 24th Street and Southern Avenue, where they discover the tragedy. Rachel Henry, the children's mother, appears emotional, stating to officers, "I put them down for a nap, and thought that they were sleeping," as seen in the video released by FOX 10 Phoenix. The children, identified as Zane Henry, Mireya Henry, and Catalaya Rios, were each under four years old. Required to stand by a truck while the officers continued their investigation, Henry is heard partly admitting to her struggles, "I’m asking the Lord for forgiveness, so I can move on and move fresh," she said.
Further details from the footage show first responders trying to revive the children to no avail, with reactions from the horrific scene being deeply emotional but visually obscured for privacy. A family member described Henry as "weird" and expressed fears to officers about one day finding "the kids drowning in the tub or something," according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Henry's statements at the scene, obtained by AZ Family, quickly take on a chilling dissonance as she speaks about planning for the family's future, "I was going to get a job so I could get my own place so the babies would be fine," while court documents tell a darker story. She allegedly smothered her children, singing to them in their final moments. The recently released footage also features a moment where the children's father, upon being questioned if he had been inside the home, he sleepily responds, "Yeah, I was sleeping," after police discovered the children deceased.
Rachel Henry has pleaded not guilty to the three murder charges she faces while the motive behind the tragic event remains undisclosed. She moved to Phoenix from Oklahoma shortly before the incident, with previous reports from the state detailing domestic disputes and welfare checks, including one instance where social workers removed the children from her home, as FOX 10 Phoenix indicated. Her case continues to unfold amid ongoing court proceedings.
