Rachel Henry case: Bodycam video shows what happened as officers arrived at murder scene
(NOTE: Some may find the details in this story deeply disturbing. Discretion is advised)
PHOENIX - On July 29, Phoenix Police released never before seen body camera video in the homicide of three children.
The children, all under the age of four, were killed in 2020, and their mother, Rachel Henry, is accused of suffocating them.
At the time, police said crews were called out to an area near 24th Street and Southern Avenue. A relative at the home called 911, and when officers entered, a three-year-old boy, a two-year-old girl, and a seven-month-old girl were found unconscious. The three victims were later identified as Zane Henry, Mireya Henry and Catalaya Rios.
Redacted video captures crime scene
The video, which was taken on January 20, 2020, starts with officers arriving at the house, and ends with Henry in handcuffs.
In the video, a woman who identified herself as Rachel Henry sobs as officers arrive outside her home.
"I put them down for a nap, and thought that they were sleeping," Henry said.
The camera captures an officer entering through the front door and looking around. What he sees is blurred, but the audio suggests he became extremely emotional at the sight.
>> Continuing Coverage: Rachel Henry case
"I heard this one screaming, she…" an officer was heard saying on camera. The officer was not seen on camera.
"You OK man?" another unseen officer was heard saying. "I'm getting you out of here. We can get someone else to watch over the door."
Later, police direct Henry to stand by a truck as they investigate. She starts chatting, admitting to being addicted at one time to marijuana and meth.
"I’m asking the Lord for forgiveness, so I can move on and move fresh," Henry was heard saying.
"The girl is weird," said one of the victims' family member, while they talked to officers. "I'm afraid I'm going to go home one day, and find the kids drowning in the tub or something."
Court docs: Henry admitted to murdering children
Rachel Henry
Henry was later driven to the police station, where she was taken into a room to talk. When the camera was turned back on, Henry was directed to put her hands up, so she can be placed in handcuffs.
Court documents claim Henry admitted to officers in an interview that she suffocated her children to death, singing to them while she did it. Investigators claim she afterwards, Henry placed the victims on the couch, and positioned them as if they were taking a nap.
No motive has been revealed in the case.
Per detectives, Henry moved to Phoenix from Oklahoma just a few months before the killings. Police reports in Oklahoma outlined a series of domestic disputes and welfare checks. At one point, social workers removed the children from the home.
Henry has pleaded not guilty to her three murder charges, and her case is still ongoing.