CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

Mother Says She Sang Lullabies While Smothering Her Three Young Children; Sentenced to Life

Case summary: Rachel Henry admitted she smothered her three children — Zane, 3; Maraya, 2; and 7-month-old Catalaya — in January 2020 while the family stayed at a relative’s Phoenix home. She told police she sang lullabies to muffle their cries, covered their bodies, and told relatives the children were sleeping. Henry pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and, in February 2025, was sentenced to life in prison.

04:48 AM, 11/29/2025Society
Mother Says She Sang Lullabies While Smothering Her Three Young Children; Sentenced to Life

Overview: Rachel Henry has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting she smothered her three young children in January 2020 while they were staying in a Phoenix home. According to investigators, Henry told detectives she sang lullabies to muffle the children’s cries before covering their bodies and telling relatives they were sleeping.

Background: Henry and the children’s father, Pedro Rios, relocated to Arizona from Nebraska in late 2019 with their three children — Zane (3), Maraya (2) and 7-month-old Catalaya. The family initially stayed with Rios’s aunt, Pearl Rebolledo Velazco, who later said she had asked them to leave because of ongoing problems. After a few weeks and growing concern about cold weather, the aunt allowed them to return to her rental home.

Discovery and confession: On Jan. 20, 2020, Pearl called police to report that her house contained "three children under the age of three years old [who] were found deceased." Officers confirmed the children had died and began interviewing the adults in the home. In her first interview with detectives, Henry confessed to the killings and described each of the attacks.

Henry told investigators she first killed her daughter Maraya by lying on top of her during what she called a game and then covering the child’s nose and mouth. She said she next smothered her son Zane after he resisted and physically fought back. Henry admitted she sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" during that assault so his father would not hear. She then returned to the living room, took the infant Catalaya from Rios, fed her a bottle while singing lullabies, and later smothered her as well.

Aftermath and legal outcome: Shortly after the third child was placed on the couch, Rios took a nap. About four hours later he checked on the children during a video call with his great-grandmother and discovered they were not breathing. Pearl then called 911. Henry was arrested the same day and appeared in court the next day; she did not post $3 million bail. Prosecutors and defense reached a plea agreement in which Henry pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, avoiding a death sentence. In February 2025, a judge sentenced her to spend the remainder of her natural life in prison.

Victims: The children were identified as Zane (3), Maraya (2), and 7-month-old Catalaya.

Note: This account summarizes details from police reports and court proceedings. The language has been edited for clarity and to avoid gratuitous graphic detail.

Similar Articles

Trending