An Arizona mom admits to drowning her two-year-old twin boys in a bathtub because she didn't want them to face a difficult life, authorities say.
KPHO reports that 22-year-old Mireya Alejandra Lopez of Avondale was arrested by police after her twin boys were rushed to the hospital after being admittedly drowned by their mother in the bathtub.
Police reports said the kids were placed in the tub without their clothing and then submerged until they drowned. Police also said that Lopez admitted to using a pen to poke a hole into one boy's neck to ensure that he was dead. Afterwards, the boys were then removed from the tub, wrapped in a blanket, and placed upstairs, officers said.
Court paperwork states that when asked why she did it, Lopez told officers that she believes the twins "are bullied [and] are treated differently." According to police, she said she did not want her children to have a difficult life. Lopez told officers she thought it was better for the twins to be at peace.
The police officer also reported Lopez saying she did it "because nobody loved them and nobody loved her."
Lopez was also reported to having been stopped by her mother, Mireya Kissi, from drowning her three-year-old stepbrother.
"Mireya also stated to investigators that she also attempted to drown another child in the home but she was stopped by family ...," Avondale Police Department's Sgt. Brandon Busse told media outlets.
According to court documents, Lopez admitted to taking the child into the same bathroom where she drowned her twins and tried to drown him, holding him by the neck and pressing him face-down.
Kissi yelled at Lopez to release the young boy. According to police, Lopez told them "she was concerned about him as he rarely ate and he was anti-social." The child was unharmed.
The Associated Press reports self-identified step-grandfather to the twins, Daniel Marino, saying "the two little angels did not deserve that at all."
"They were just so full of life and had a big future," said Marino via KPHO. "I raised them just like my own; it's heartbreaking that they're not here."
Marino added that Lopez was recently released from mental health treatment.
"We asked for more help from the clinics, but they kept releasing her daughter and said we can't hold onto her," Marino said, referring to Lopez.
Sam Avitia, the twins' father, said Lopez suffered from depression and anxiety and takes medication. He adds that she has never threatened anyone, nor had shown any violent tendencies.
Avitia said he was scheduled to get the twins Friday, as he had joint custody over them.
Lopez is currently held on a $2-million bond.
