Man Wanted For Murders Of His Wife, Baby Son Near South Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The bodies of a woman and a baby boy were discovered Thursday morning near South Los Angeles and police are hunting the woman's husband as the suspect.

The woman and 2-month-old boy were found dead about 8:20 a.m. inside the residence along the 11100 block of South Normandie Avenue, according to a Sheriff's Department spokesperson.

The victims were not shot or stabbed, according to authorities. The Coroner did not say how the victims were killed.

KCAL9's Cristy Fajardo reported from the scene.

The Coroner could be seen cradling the body of a newborn as he gingerly placed the boy inside a van.

Neighbors told Fajardo that police were seeking the woman's mother and father of the baby as the suspect. They also told her the woman lived in fear of the husband, identified as 26-year-old Algernon Rieux.

The woman who called 911 told Fajardo off-camera that the baby's paternal grandmother came over to the apartment unannounced about 8 this morning.

When she unlocked the door she said her son bolted past her and then she discovered the baby.

She was performing CPR and crying for help when deputies arrived.

She also told them there was a woman inside that needed help. The woman, the baby's mother, has been identified as Jacqueline Montoya Rieux, 25.

Neighbors said the couple -- married since February 10, 2014, according to her Facebook account -- had a history of domestic abuse and he had gone to jail for choking her in the past.

"He went to jail last year for choking her and when he went to jail, I told her to leave him, I said he would try to kill her," said friend Chevette Foxworth.

"He was still a newborn, she brought him outside a few times. But he didn't want anyone to see the baby," said Foxworth, "He would tell her, don't have anyone in my baby's face. When I saw the baby, I had to sneak to see him. She shouldn't have had to live like that."

The deceased also had a 5-year-old daughter who friends said was not home at the time of the murders.

Sheriff's homicide detectives said suspect Rieux is 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 160 pounds. They also said he is bipolar, possibly suicidal and under the influence of meth. He and his wife had connections to the San Pedro area, officials said.

KCAL9's Rachel Kim said the baby was identified as Joshua Rieux.

Friends and neighbors of the deceased are in shock and have heavy hearts.

"It's a shock, I'm in disbelief. It's disgusting, there's no words, there's no words," said one neighbor who did not want to be identified.