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Police: Autopsy Shows Children Found In Redding Storage Unit Died Outside Of Shasta County

REDDING (CBS13) — An autopsy revealed two children who were found dead inside a Redding storage unit died outside of Shasta County, the Redding Police Department said on Wednesday.

Tami Huntsman, 39, and Gonzalo Curiel, 17, have been arrested and charged with felony child abuse in a case involving a 9-year-old girl. They are being held on $1 million bail each.

A 6-year-old and 3-year-old in their custody have been reported as missing, but are believed to be the children who were found in the Redding storage unit. Redding Police said autopsy results show the children died outside of Shasta County.

The 9-year-old girl was found Friday in a parked car in Plumas County and is currently in the hospital. She is expected to survive.

Also found inside an apartment were 12-year-old twins who are now in foster care.

Social services officials in Monterey say they were investigating the family, but the family moved more than 100 miles away.

Law enforcement hasn't said what Tami Huntsman's relationship was to the three children in her care.

A spokesperson for the Monterey County Department of Social Services confirms it had four calls to check on the children at Tami Huntsman's Salinas home as recently as in August, but the children were never removed.

Sheila Boxley, CEO of the Child Abuse Prevention Center, helps at-risk families who are referred to the center. It's unclear if the Huntsman family was referred to any of the three locations in Monterey County, but she says the children met requirements for help.

"These children had some pretty serious adverse childhood experiences—dad was in prison, mom had been killed, they even moved into a family relative's home, they were mobile. There were things to look at that looked like the family could use some support.," she said.

Boxley says the center's social workers can also serve as a second set of eyes on children, but the Huntsman family left Monterey County at some point this year, moving to Quincy in Plumas County.

"Unless there's a criminal case or some official sanction, there's no way to prevent people from moving. They're free to do that," she said.

The California Department of Social Services says it can't restrict a family with a Child Protective Services referral from moving out of the county or even out of state. If there is an immediate danger, the children will be removed, and if there is a CPS referral to check on the family, then they agency will attempt to locate them.

The rules are different for open or active child welfare cases. Foster families must notify the court if they plan to relocate and a social worker is required to make monthly visits.

In California, children must be enrolled in school starting at the age of 6. Schools must report a student truant if that child misses three days or is late more than 30 minutes three times. Teachers are mandatory reporters and must contact CPS for any signs of child abuse or neglect.

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