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Inset: Isaiah H. (KTLA/YouTube). Background: The California apartment complex where Destiny Harrison and Daniel Monzon’s son, Isaiah H., was found dead inside a cooler filled with ice (KNBC/YouTube).
In a deeply disturbing case out of California, a couple and the child’s grandmother face serious charges in connection with the death and alleged torture of their 8-year-old son. Authorities claim the trio concealed the boy’s body by placing it in a cooler filled with ice.
Highlighting the tragic nature of the incident, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman remarked, “The horrific abuse that Isaiah endured is made even worse by the fact that, as alleged, it was at the hands of the people who were meant to love and protect him.” This statement was part of a press release issued on Friday, which announced the arrests of Destiny Harrison, 25, Daniel Monzon, 25, and Ana Carcamo Zarceno, 45.
The charges laid against them are grave: murder, torture, and child abuse leading to the death of young Isaiah H. In addition to these charges, Monzon and the boy’s paternal grandmother, Zarceno, face additional charges of being accessories after the fact.
In the same Lynwood apartment where Isaiah’s tragic end occurred, three other children, aged 16, 13, and 9 months, were found. They were promptly taken into protective custody by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, as reported by local CW affiliate KTLA.
Neighbors expressed shock and disbelief, describing Harrison as someone who appeared calm and “seemed like a normal person” during her routine activities, such as walking her dog and picking up her children from the school bus, according to statements given to the media.
Neighbor Christian Torres told local NBC affiliate KNBC that he would see the children at the home “come outside and play,” while their mother would watch them.
“She would always be out here with her dog,” Torres said. “She would smile, would say ‘hi.’ Nothing out of the ordinary.”
According to prosecutors, Isaiah was allegedly abused “over a long period of time” before he eventually “succumbed to his injuries” on Oct. 24. “His body was found days later in a cooler filled with ice,” the DA’s office said in its release.
A cause of death has not yet been released.
Bail for Harrison, Monzon and Zarceno has been set at $2 million for each of them. They all face 32 years to life in state prison, if convicted.
“This is an unimaginable and horrific tragedy,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn in a statement. “My heart breaks for what the other children in this home must have experienced, and it’s critical that our Department of Children and Family Services do everything possible to support them and keep them safe in protective custody.”