A father is in custody after his 6-year-old son was fatally stabbed early Thursday morning in South LA, sheriff’s officials said.
Just after midnight, deputies responded to a call of a person screaming in the 1600 block of 88th Street. Upon arrival, deputies found the child had multiple stab wounds on his upper torso.
Deputies administered life-saving efforts to try and save the boy, then rushed him to St. Francis Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
"I'm not a father, but it hurts really bad, knowing that a little kid died," neighbor Diego Cerda said.
According to witnesses, the boy's father, Alejandro Sanchez, was screaming incoherently and was covered in blood. The boy was found inside the mobile home that the two shared.
Sanchez had full custody of his son. Los Angeles County Sherif's Sgt. Luis Nunez said that, from what the department understands, the child's mother died shortly after childbirth.
Neighbor Gricel Ibarra, whose mother was one of the boy's babysitters, told NBC4 that there were concerns about the boy's well-being.
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"(There was) a burn on one of his legs and he would say that he was scared to be with his dad," Ibarra said.
The county's Department of Children and Family Services said it could not comment on whether they were aware of the Sanchez case because of confidentiality rules.
Sheriff's detectives told NBC4 that they are checking other addresses where the two had lived in the recent past, determining whether or not there were any previous domestic calls or red flags.
"You see just a beautiful little angel there and realize that he went through hell," Nunez said.
An autopsy may be performed as early as Friday.
Kevin LaBeach and Adrian Arambulo contributed to this report.
