The father and paternal grandmother of a young boy who was found dead inside a cooler in a Lynwood apartment made their first court appearance Monday on murder, torture and child abuse charges.
The boy’s father, Daniel Alberto Monzon, 25, is now scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 25 in a Compton courtroom, while the boy’s grandmother, Ana Carcamo Zarceno, 45, is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 20, along with the boy’s mother, Destiny Luckie Harrison, 25, who made her first court appearance Friday.
The defendants remained jailed in lieu of $2 million each and have been ordered not to have any contact with three other children who lived in the house.
Harrison, Monzon and Zarceno were charged Friday with murder, torture and child abuse resulting in death, with an allegation of willful harm resulting in death.
Monzon and Zarceno were also charged with being an accessory after the fact.
If convicted as charged, they each face 32 years to life in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded around 8:30 p.m. last Tuesday to the apartment in the 3100 block of Euclid Avenue, west of Peach Street, to conduct a welfare check requested by an unidentified resident who went to the sheriff’s station, LASD Sgt. Nancy Veliz told City News Service.
Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics were called to the home and pronounced the boy — who prosecutors say was believed to be 8 years old — dead at the scene. It was unclear how the child — identified by prosecutors only as Isaiah H., and originally believed to be 7 years old — died.
The criminal complaint alleged that the boy was tortured on or between April 1, 2024 and Oct. 24, and that the boy was abused and murdered on or between Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. The boy died early Oct. 24 as a result of his injuries, and was found days later “in a cooler filled with ice,” according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“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,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Our office is committed to ensuring that those responsible are held fully accountable for their actions and that justice will be secured for Isaiah.”
Authorities detained the boy’s mother, father and grandmother at the scene, where the three additional children were also found. Those children — since described as being 16 years old, 14 years old and nine months old — were taken into protective custody by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
Cathy Familathe, leader of the LA Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, told reporters outside the Compton courthouse Friday, “Hearing the details about this little boy’s life, it seems like they don’t know when he was born. … They’re saying they don’t believe he went to school. … What happened?”
She added, “It just confirms that evil does exist, it does exist. … When a parent harms their own, it’s unbelievable. It goes against nature. It’s wrong.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn issued a statement Wednesday saying, “This is an unimaginable and horrific tragedy. I stand ready to support the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as they investigate this child’s death. 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.”
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Callers who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.