The Russian government is seeking information and pledging assistance in the Amber Alert case of the nine-year-old son of Russian parents who has been orphaned by their deaths.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services took responsibility for care of the child until arrangements can be made, preferrably with other relatives or close family friends. His mother was found slain near Santa Maria on Monday, allegedly by his father, who died Tuesday evening in a confrontation with Los Angeles Police.
"It is with special attention we are waiting for the results of the investigation and will provide all the necessary consular assistance," wrote Maxim Goncharov, Press Attache for the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, responding to an inquiry from NBC4.
The cases of minors taken under county care are generally confidential. However, early on law enforcement authorities indicated they had not yet heard from other relatives of the boy, and raised the possibility the nearest family may be in Russia.
The Consulate has requested "official information from the US Department of State and LAPD regarding the location of the Russian minor, his health condition and the details of this tragedy," Goncharov stated in an email. "The Consulate also requested the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia to find the closest relatives of the child as soon as possible."
Natalia Morozova was awarded custody of the child during a contentious separation and divorce. Authorities in Santa Maria believe her estranged husband Konstantin Morozov, 48, shot her to death Sunday, then took the child, which prompted the Amber Alert. Morozov's own car was found in Santa Maria, and a rented Jeep in Santa Barbara.
The family previously had lived in the Los Angeles area, and an investigative lead led police to an apartment in Encino on Lindley Avenue, where they found Morozov outside. He was shot to death during the encounter with officers. Police declined to detail what led to the shooting, but said a handgun--visible on the sidewalk where he went down--was recovered.
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The child was nearby but not physically hurt, said LAPD Deputy Chief Justin Eisenberg, who oversees detectives.
As part of the divorce settlement, Morozov got the family house in Orcutt, near Santa Maria, but was ordered to make two payments of $100,000 to Morozova. They were due back in court again Thursday.
Citing legal privacy requirements in declining to discuss this specific case, Amy Krueger, M.S., Deputy Director of Adult and Children's Services for Santa Barbara County, said as a matter of policy it is possible a child could be placed with a family overseas. But she could not remember the last time that actually happened.
