Avondale mom accused of drowning sons says 'nobody loved them'

An Avondale mother accused of murdering her twin toddlers on Sunday told investigators that she drowned her sons because she wanted to spare them a life of being bullied, newly released police reports say.

Mireya Alejandra Lopez, 22, is accused of drowning her 2-year-old twin boys in a bathtub at her home near 115 Avenue and Yuma Street in Avondale. According to reports, Lopez told police that she drowned the boys because "nobody loved them and nobody loved her."

Lopez was being held in jail on Monday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge set Lopez's bail at $2 million.

Responding officers arrived at the home shortly before noon on Sunday to find the victims, naked and still wet from the bath. Lopez spoke spontaneously to police and admitted to holding the twins down in the bathtub, according to court documents. During a later interview, Lopez told investigators that she did not want her children to grow up living a difficult life. They needed to be at peace, she said, according to a police report.

Officials also allege that, after drowning her sons, Lopez told police that she stabbed one of the toddlers in the neck with a pen to make sure he was dead, court records say. Lopez swaddled them in blankets in an upstairs bedroom, according to court records. Police said Lopez then began crying, and her mother rushed upstairs.

Lopez's mother found the twins and told police she initially thought they were sleeping but discovered that they were not breathing, records show. Lopez's mother and another woman called police, and both performed CPR on the boys.

Police allege that Lopez also attempted to drown her 3-year-old stepbrother, claiming he was antisocial and mistreated, according to court records. Lopez told investigators that she held the third child under water for a short time before being stopped by her mother, records indicate. The third child suffered no major injuries, but the twin boys were taken to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Lopez has a history of mental illness and was reportedly under the influence of drugs at the time of the murders, according to court records. Police allege that in an interview with detectives, Lopez reported suffering from manic-depression, psychosis and schizophrenia and took medication for her illnesses as directed; she was unable to sleep without it, court records show. Lopez said she did not want her children growing up with the same difficulties that she faced, investigators wrote in a probable-cause statement.

She shared custody with the father of the boys, Samuel Avitia, who paid Lopez about $300 a month in child support, according to court documents. Avitia petitioned for joint legal decision-making in August 2013, and both parties consented in November 2013, records show. Other than two minor traffic violations, Lopez did not appear to have had any other trouble with the law.

Neighbors told The Arizona Republic that the street is in a relatively quiet area. The beige, two-story house being outlined by crime-scene tape drew many people out of their homes to find out what happened. Ten police vehicles lined streets and surrounded the home. The home's front door was hidden behind a large tree.

One neighbor, who identified himself as Billy Dee, stood in his driveway and watched as emergency vehicles began trickling out of the neighborhood Sunday afternoon. He said he has known the family in the house for about three years. He described them as friends whose children he had given toys and ice cream.

"Those people are beautiful. There are tears and pain in my heart today,'' he said. "They're like family."

Others who were not acquainted with the family expressed how surprised they were to hear about the deaths.

"It's terrible," neighbor Shauna Siniscaochi said. "I'd never expect something like this to happen."

Siniscaochi moved to the neighborhood with her family three months ago; she said it was very quiet and peaceful.

"I'll be sending prayers for the family," she said.

Sandi Nielson, president of the Coldwater Ridge Homeowners Association, said the neighborhood is very active but that Lopez and her family typically did not participate.

"We have family events with the HOA, and they were never out there," Nielson said. "I don't even know their last name."

Nielson said she is working to get a representative from the Avondale Police Department to speak with homeowners about ways to cope with mental-health issues at a regularly scheduled HOA meeting next week. The meeting will be 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in the library of Estrella Vista Middle School.

Lopez is scheduled to be in court for a preliminary hearing the following day.