California Father Charged With Murder After Son, Daughter Are Found Decapitated In Family Home

After a California personal trainer failed to send a Zoom link for a scheduled training session, a client became worried and notified the Los Angeles County Fire Department, who then responded to a report of a possible gas leak at the trainer’s Lancaster home.

Around 7:50 a.m., when fire personnel arrived at the home, they discovered the bodies of Maurice Taylor Jr., 12, and Maliaka Taylor, 13.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Lancaster Station deputies then arrived on the scene.

When the authorities entered the home, they found both teens haven suffered from “laceration and stab wounds” on Friday morning. Reports later confirmed that they were decapitated.

On that same day, their father, Maurice Taylor Sr., 34, a P.T. at a physical therapy center in Santa Monica, was arrested on suspicion of murder, The L.A. Times states.

On Tuesday, authorities charged Taylor with two felony counts of “murder and child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily harm,” according to CBS Los Angeles.

Taylor is currently being held until his court hearing in Lancaster on Dec. 21. If found guilty, he faces up to 57 years and four months to life in state prison.