Beaten baby 'left for dead' with her murdered family

[voivod]

Beaten baby 'left for dead' with her murdered family
Baby clung to police officer who found her

GARDEN GROVE, California (AP) -- A 1-year-old girl spent up to three days alone with the bloody bodies of her murdered family, her face kicked or beaten and lips cracked from dehydration, police said.

"She was left for dead," Lt. Mike Handfield said. "If she would have been here any longer, she could have perished from lack of food and water."

Police found the bodies of Phuong Hung Le, 30, his wife, Trish Dawn Lam, 25, and Lam's 6-year-old son, Tommy, on Monday when they conducted a welfare check at the family's home, on a street lined with two-story stucco houses about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles in Orange County.

The girl, whose name was not immediately available, was treated at a hospital for dehydration and facial injuries and placed in protective custody.

The girl smiled at the officer who found her, Handfield said. "She clung to him and he hugged her. She was glad to be next to a warm human body, to have somebody with her."

Police rule out murder-suicide
Because of the girl's dehydrated state, detectives believe the killings may have occurred Friday evening -- the last time the family was heard from.

Investigators did not know the motive for the attack, and no arrests had been made. Authorities did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack but ruled out a murder-suicide.

There were no signs of forced entry, and evidence at the scene suggested that the family knew the attacker or attackers, Handfield said.

Lam worked for a small casino in San Bernardino County, and Le was unemployed, police said.

The slain man had a history of arrests on nonviolent charges and had once spent time in prison, but police said they were not sure whether that had any bearing on the case. State prison records showed a Phong Hung Le, 30, was sentenced to four years on a robbery conviction and more than two years for destruction of jail property.

"I don't know about enemies, and I don't know how my brother-in-law was doing," said Lam's older brother, Philip. "He didn't really go out much."

The couple, who had been dating for several years, married in 2005, he said. His family emigrated from Vietnam a decade ago.

"I'm trying to figure this all out," Philip Lam said from the family home in Escondido. "So far there are a lot of broken hearts around here."

[AJHV]

Crazy shit!

[onefootoutthedoor]

My guess is that one of them got mixed up with a vietnemese gang. They are known to show no mercy in their killings. What a shame for this little girl to have to live the rest of her life knowing what happened to her family.


On a totally unrelated note, I once dated a Vietnemese girl from Garden Grove. She was incredible.

[halenfan25]

People can truly be disgusting.

[avhevhmashdlr]

who in the f*** does this? not just to anyone- BUT A BLINKING KID?!!! jesus....this is where creul and unusual punishment comes into play IMDHO!

[Axxman300]

Lam worked for a small casino in San Bernardino County, and Le was unemployed, police said.

If I were a betting man, I'd say there is some kind of Asian underworld link there. Great state I live in.

[Lightning Fingers]

Who ever did this, the punishment should be getting kicked in the face, etc and left for a few days without food and water, and if there is capital punishment in California, fry the bastards. No child should be subjected to this crap.

[Axxman300]

Who ever did this, the punishment should be getting kicked in the face, etc and left for a few days without food and water, and if there is capital punishment in California, fry the bastards. No child should be subjected to this crap.

Right now, the death penalty has been suspended because some judge thinks that leathal injection is cruel and unusual punishment because there is no way to gaurantee that the exicution does not cause any suffering.