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The lives of three young children were tragically cut short, leading their mother to face a lifetime of incarceration. This heartbreaking incident raises profound questions about mental health and parental responsibility.

On February 14, Rachel Henry, 27, received three consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and child endangerment. As part of her plea deal, the death penalty was removed from consideration; however, she is ineligible for parole, ensuring she will spend the remainder of her life behind bars.

“I have dedicated my career to protecting children, and it’s incredibly difficult to comprehend how a parent could take the life of their own child,” stated Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a press release.

The tragic case unfolded when Phoenix Police were called to Henry’s residence on January 20, 2020, after the children’s great aunt reported discovering the lifeless bodies of the children on the couch.

Upon arrival, police body camera footage captured Henry stating, “I put them down for a nap and thought they were sleeping,” as reported by Fox affiliate KSAZ.

According to a police report, Henry later confessed during an interrogation that she had killed her children: 3-year-old Zane Henry, 1-year-old Miraya Henry, and 7-month-old Catalaya Rios, leading to her arrest.

Henry reportedly admitted to smothering her children one by one, with the County Attorney stating she even “sang [her son] a lullaby while suffocating him as he resisted.”

According to a police report reviewed by AZ Family, the tragic murders of Henry’s three children began when she was reportedly “playing” with her older daughter, engaging in “wrestling” while their great aunt was picking up the children’s father from work around 2 p.m.

Henry felt that Miraya’s “breathing was obstructed,” yet continued to suffocate her by placing her hand over the mouth of the 1-year-old girl, as detailed in the report. Miraya was just two weeks shy of her second birthday at the time of this horrific incident.

The toddler, in her last moments, was reported to be kicking, while her older brother Zane was yelling and attempting to physically stop their mother, “trying to get her to stop,” according to the filing. Police stated that Henry “realized she had killed the 1-year-old girl when she ceased to kick.”

Following this, Henry allegedly “chased” her son but was “interrupted” by the return of the children’s great aunt and father at approximately 3 p.m., who reportedly spent time playing with Zane.

Shortly thereafter, Henry stated she took her son to a “back bedroom where she changed his underpants” and prepared to put him down for a nap. At that moment, she allegedly “straddled him with one of her legs” on the bedroom floor.

As detailed in the police report, Henry was “singing” to Zane as he scratched and pinched her, while she placed her hand over his nose and mouth. She allegedly “used her weight” to “suffocate him until he died,” a horrific act that shattered the innocence of this child.

Afterward, Henry reported that she fed her 7-month-old daughter from a bottle until she fell asleep. Once again, she sang a lullaby and then placed her hand over the infant’s face, blocking her breathing “until she became unconscious and died,” a tragic end for yet another young life.

Following the children’s deaths, Henry allegedly “arranged all the children on the living room sofa as if they were merely taking a nap.” She informed police that she did not disclose the events to anyone else in the family, further complicating the tragic circumstances.

Initially held on a $3 million bond, prosecutors justified this by highlighting that the recent transplant from Oklahoma had no significant ties to Arizona, and her children had previously been removed from her custody due to a methamphetamine addiction. The prosecution also examined whether postpartum depression contributed to this tragic outcome.

In the spring of 2020, Pearla Rebolledo, the great aunt who called 911, organized a video visit with Henry to seek answers about why she allegedly took the lives of her three children.

During the video call obtained by NBC affiliate KPNX, when directly asked why she committed the act, Henry responded, “I didn’t know what was happening. I told you I felt like I was losing my mind because I did not understand why you guys, why everyone was acting the way they were.”

“I didn’t, I was on drugs,” she continued. “I was freaking out, and I didn’t know what to do. I know I was scared.” Henry expressed feelings of losing her sanity and claimed that no one listened to her, as reported by the outlet.

“I felt like I was losing my mind. I didn’t know what was happening; I tried to talk to someone, and they said I was stupid or I was scared, and I didn’t know what I was talking about,” Henry explained during the call.

However, as Rebolledo persistently sought answers during the six-minute call, Henry offered a different narrative about the tragic murders of her children.

“Do you know how badly I wanted to go to the store? I wanted to go outside. I wanted to do this and that,” Henry said. “You said I couldn’t be seen by Francisco. You said I couldn’t go to the store because of the babies and this and that. I felt trapped in the house, and I felt like I was going crazy.”

At another point during the call, Henry remarked, “I don’t remember doing it… because I don’t, it really wasn’t me.”

Henry’s defense attorney, Alan Tavassoli, contended that postpartum depression, addiction, and various mental health issues, combined with a lack of support as a new mother, played significant roles in her actions. He stressed, “This is an explanation, not an excuse,” and “It never justifies what she has done.”

Prosecutor Christopher Sammons described the murders as “senseless and cruel,” asserting in court, as per KSAZ, “The defendant is clearly going to prison for the rest of her life because she committed the unthinkable in this case, Judge. She had a responsibility to protect her children from anyone or anything that could harm them. Tragically, in this instance, she was that very threat.”