Mother, 3 Children Found Dead Inside Chicago Home

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The decomposing bodies of a young mother and her three children were discovered in their South Side Chicago home early Saturday night, ABC7 Chicago reports.

Latoya Jackson, 27, and her sons Andrew, 11, Cameron, 9, and Kentrall, 5, were discovered after neighbors reported a strong odor coming from the home.

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There was also a fire in the home in the 8300-block of South Drexel in the city’s East Chatham neighborhood.

Friends put balloons and teddy bears at the site of this gruesome crime.

April Bussell said she was Latoya Jackson’s best friend and can’t believe she and her young sons are gone.

“She loved them kids,” Bussell said. “That’s all she had. It didn’t matter if she did anything bad, as long as she knew she was with them.”

“My brother was devastated,” said Jackson’s nephew, whose identity was concealed. “He was closer to them more than I was, it’s no way to deal with that type of thing when you take a child’s life. There has to be something mentally wrong with you.”

Leon Ervin, grandfather of Jackson’s eldest son, Andrew, called Jackson a “good mother.”

“They were well-rounded kids, did good in school, good kids,” Ervin said.

Bussell said that she suspects domestic violence ended her friend’s life, who was reportedly in an extremely violent relationship.

“I’ve been with my friend, but I had to distance myself because it was that violent,” said Bussell. “I couldn’t watch her do herself like that.”