Surf school owner arrested in stabbing deaths of his 2 toddlers

BAJA, Calif. — A California man is in police custody awaiting charges after a ranch worker in Mexico discovered the bodies of two toddlers, each stabbed at least a dozen times, early Monday.

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara was detained as he attempted to reenter the United States and remains in federal custody in Los Angeles, KEYT-TV reported.

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Authorities responded to the ranch near the municipality of Rosarito, Mexico, after an employee at the facility saw blood spatter after leaving his home. The worker, who declined to be identified by KSWB-TV, said that his dogs led him to two “small bodies” that he immediately recognized as children because one was still in diapers.

Rosarito is about a 30-minute drive south of Tijuana.

The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office confirmed to KEYT-TV that the children, a boy and a girl, were between the ages of 1 and 3 and that the ranch employee also found a wooden stake stained with blood.

“To be honest, I teared up. And I immediately notified my manager to call the police to come investigate. I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who don’t know any better,” the farmhand told the TV station.

The young girl was stabbed 12 times, and her brother was stabbed 17 times, investigators told KEYT-TV.

Investigators also confirmed to KSWB-TV that Taylor is co-owner of the Lovewater Surf Co., a Santa Barbara-based surfing school, with his wife.

According to Santa Barbara police, Coleman’s wife reported her husband and children missing after not seeing them for about 24 hours, stating that she was concerned for their well-being, KEYT-TV reported.

Mexican officials told the TV station that if charged and convicted in Mexico, Coleman may face between 60 and 120 years in prison.

Meanwhile, both Mexican and U.S. authorities are working to return the children’s bodies to California, KSWB-TV reported.

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