Mother drowns kids before hanging herself, police say. Depression may have been factor

A Reedley mother who may have suffered from depression drowned her 4-year-old child and 21-month-old baby before hanging herself, police said Wednesday.

Autopsies were conducted on Vera Lucia Diaz Nunez, the 32-year-old mother, and the two children before investigators determined the deaths on Monday, July 9 were the result of a murder-suicide.

Reedley police said Wednesday that the children were found by their father in a bathtub of the family's apartment on the 400 block of East Myrtle Avenue. The father found Diaz Nunez hanging in the bedroom.

When police arrived to the apartment, the children were out of the bathtub and Nunez Diaz had been laid on the floor by her husband.

Reedley police had not had prior contact with the family and had not received any previous calls to the residence. The police department said there are no suspects in the case.

This story was originally published July 11, 2018 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Mother drowns kids before hanging herself, police say. Depression may have been factor."