Father arrested in connection with 2 Lancaster child deaths, injuries to 2 other children

A father who was detained after deputies sent to a residence in Lancaster discovered four of his children injured — two of them fatally — has been formally arrested on suspicion of murder and child abuse, sheriff’s officials said on Monday, Oct 30.

Deputies were dispatched at about 11:50 p.m. Saturday to a home in the 1800 block of East Avenue J-2 on a child abuse call.

“The call stated children were being harmed at the location,” according to a Sheriff’s Department statement on Sunday. “Upon arrival, deputies contacted a female adult and conducted a check of the location. Deputies found four children under the age of 10 suffering from lacerations.”

The children were hospitalized, with two pronounced dead and the other two with non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect was identified as Prospero Serna of San Bernardino County.

“Prospero Serna, the father of the children, was initially detained as a person of interest in the case,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Monday. “Homicide detectives determined there was sufficient evidence to arrest Prospero Serna for the crimes of murder and child abuse. However, Prospero Serna is refusing to cooperate with sheriff’s deputies … delaying his booking process.”