Tucson mom faces charges after child's remains found in house

A 24-year-old Tucson woman has been arrested after police say they found the remains of one of her three children inside her house.

The case started in the afternoon of March 23, when police were called to a neighborhood near East Drexel Road and South Campbell Avenue after someone reported that a child was running across the street.

Officers went to a house in the 5500 block of South Monrovia Avenue and realized that a 4-year-old and nine-month-old had been left alone by their mother Katie Luna Hernandez, 24, police said in a news release.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety took custody of the children and Hernandez was arrested, the release said.

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The next day, detectives learned that Hernandez had a third child, a two-year-old boy. After interviewing Hernandez about the whereabouts of her son, police searched the house and found the boy’s remains hidden inside, the news release said.

Officers also found fentanyl and narcotic paraphernalia inside the home, the release said.

Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of two felony counts of child abuse, the news release said. However, police say additional charges are pending and that their findings will be presented to the Pima County Attorney’s Office for review.