San Francisco: A woman seen throwing her three young sons into San Francisco Bay from a downtown pier has been charged with murder.
Anguished relatives are keeping vigil even as rescuers comb the chilly waters for the bodies of two of the victims.
Lashuan T Harris, 23, is being held in a hospital jail ward after police saw her pushing an empty baby stroller away from the pier where a witness reported spotting a woman drop the children into the water on Wednesday night.
The body of Harris' middle child, Taronta Greeley, 2, was recovered late on Wednesday about two kilometers from the 10-foot pier not far from Fishermen's Wharf, a major tourist spot.
The other children -- Treyshun Harris, 6, and Joshoa Greeley, 16 months ? are missing and presumed to be dead after more than 24 hours in water with a swift current.
The sheriff's department would not say why Harris was in the hospital, but she suffers from schizophrenia and had threatened to hurt her children, according to Britney Fitzpatrick, her 16-year-old half-sister.
"She told my mama she was going to feed them to the sharks," Fitzpatrick said. "No one thought it was that serious."
The Coast Guard has called off its search, but the San Francisco police and fire departments continue to scour the bay for the two bodies. "We are going to be out here until we find them," said police spokeswoman Maria Oropeza.
The District Attorney's office has charged Harris with three counts of murder and three counts of assault on a child with great bodily injury.
As multiple murder charges are involved, Harris could face the death penalty.
Comments
0 comment