Mom accused of killing her kids says she woke to blood on her hands, Arizona cops say

An Arizona woman was arrested after police said she killed her two children with a meat cleaver.

Yui Inoue, 40, allegedly told Tempe police Saturday morning that she was “hearing voices telling her to kill her children,” ABC News reported.

A 7-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl were then found dead in a Phoenix apartment, the TV station reported. The children had “significant injuries to their bodies, including numerous lacerations, incised wounds and some amputations, consistent with a violent attack and defensive wounds,” Tempe police spokesperson Sgt. Steven Carbajal said.

Inoue told police that she got into a fight with her husband the previous night and went to sleep, AZFamily reported. She told officers she woke up at 4:30 a.m. with “blood on her hands and arms,” police said, but didn’t think she killed her kids despite not being able to remember.

Inoue said she “woke up” to what happened and then went to police, AZFamily reported.

Police had earlier visited the apartment around 12:30 a.m. Saturday due to a “domestic dispute” between Inoue and her husband, Carbajal told AZCentral, but “officers noted that the children were safe in their beds before they left the apartment.”

Inoue’s husband told authorities that she had “threatened to stab him” during a fight about money to move to Japan, the publication reported. He said he left around 12:30 a.m., just hours before the alleged killings.

Police said Inoue was bloodied and they reported finding a bag with a meat cleaver and bloody clothes in her car, according to AZCentral. Inoue has been arrested for two counts of first-degree murder.

The Kyrene School District, which said the two children were students at Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School, released a statement shared by ABC15:

“Kyrene School District is devastated to learn of the loss of two Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School students. While law enforcement focuses on the investigation, Kyrene is focused on supporting the Cielo community. The District has a team of professionals, trained to address the needs of students, parents and school personnel. Counselors will be available on campus, throughout this week and beyond, for any student or staff member in need of support. We ask for compassion for our Cielo community during this time of healing.”