Amber Alert deaths of 2 children: What we know now

The discovery of two slain children only hours after an Amber Alert was issued in their disappearance was called a "senseless tragedy" Tuesday by a prosecutor in the case.

Investigations like these are never easy, Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill said, but they become particularly difficult when children are involved.

“It’s a senseless tragedy," Hill said. "There’s no such thing as a good reason to kill, but my gosh, when it becomes children, regardless of who’s ultimately determined to be responsible, it’s a horrific thought that in one minute, you have a lively, bright, energetic 7-year-old and a 6-year-old, and in the next, their life is snuffed out.”

Prosecutors from Allen and Elkhart counties discussed the arrest of a Fort Wayne mother, who was booked on murder charges Tuesday, after Hill said Amber Susan Pasztor parked at the Elkhart Police Department at  5:20 p.m. Monday and told an officer her children were dead and inside the vehicle. A search by officers found the children in the back seat.

Pasztor, 29, abducted Liliana Hernandez, 7, and Rene Pasztor, 6, from a Fort Wayne location earlier on Monday, prosecutors say.

She is currently being held in Elkhart on a warrant in connection with the deaths.

Autopsies conducted Tuesday revealed both children died of asphyxiation, said James Elliott, chief deputy coroner in Elkhart County. Both deaths have been ruled homicides.

There is no indication of how long the children were in the car before Pasztor alerted officers, Hill said.

Officers also found the body of a deceased male, Frank Macomber, in Allen County on Tuesday morning, Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards said.

Macomber was found with a fatal gunshot wound, said Richards, who said it's likely he was killed before Pasztor abducted the children.

Richards said investigators are still working to determine the relationship between Pasztor and Macomber.

Macomber was named in Monday's Amber Alert, after police determined Pasztor and her children were last seen in his tan Mercury Mystique, the same vehicle Pasztor was driving when she approached officers in Elkhart.

Hill said Pasztor provided some information that was useful in the investigation involving Macomber, but he did not specifically say what she told police.

No one has been charged yet in Macomber's death, Richards said.

Mom booked on murder in Amber Alert deaths of 2 children

Though the children were abducted just after 6 a.m. Monday, Indiana State Police did not issue the statewide Amber Alert until the early afternoon.

In order for a statewide alert to be issued, Richards said, police must have a complete description of the person believed to be involved in the abduction, as well as a complete vehicle description. That might explain the delay, she said.

The death investigation involving the two children will be conducted by Elkhart County authorities. The investigation into Macomber's death will be conducted in Allen County.

A probable cause hearing for Pasztor is expected to be held Wednesday, Hill said, with formal charges to be filed later this week.

IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays. 

Amber Alert ended after 7-year-old found