Sophia Elizabeth Coronado, 2

Sophia Elizabeth Coronado, a 2-year-old Latina, was fatally stabbed Tuesday, May 20 in the 1000 block of West 223rd Street in West Carson, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

About 5:20 p.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were called to a home by the child’s grandmother. Inside a bedroom and on a bed, deputies discovered the bloodied bodies of the 2-year-old and her two sisters, Yazmine, 1, and Xenia, 2 months, said Lt. Dave Coleman of the Sheriff’s Department. The children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Their mother, 30-year-old, Carol Coronado, a white woman, was beside the bed, barely clothed with self-inflicted wounds.  There was evidence of stab wounds on the children and ultimately, the coroner determined that the children died from sharp force trauma.

Before authorities arrived, neighbors recalled seeing the father, Rudy Coronado, screaming outside the home, calling for help. When deputies led the mother out of the home, she was handcuffed and covered in a blanket, said neighbor Ashley Madrid.

“She had a zoned-out look and was just looking down,” Madrid told The Times. “She had dry blood smeared on her face and legs.”

Detectives, who were not aware of any prior incidents involving the mother of three, recovered several knives from the home. Coronado served in the military but left after a short stint for medical reasons, Coleman said.

Those who know the family said there was no indication that anything was wrong. One relative said Coronado’s husband --who was working on a pickup truck across the street when his daughters were killed – was “dazed and confused.”

Coronado pleaded not guilty May 29 to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.  The attempted murder charge is related to an incident with her mother, authorities said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

-- Los Angeles Times staff