Milwaukee police are investigating the apparent homicides of a mother and two daughters whose bodies were discovered Sunday in a garage, the day after police issued an Amber Alert.
Police identified the victims as 26-year-old Amarah Banks, 5-year-old Zaniya Ivery and 4-year-old Camaria Banks.
The three were found after the arrest of Banks’ boyfriend Arzel J. Ivery, 25, in Tennessee. Ivery was charged out of Milwaukee County with felony aggravated battery.
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Police say homicide charges were expected to be filed against Ivery, who is in custody in Memphis, Tennessee. Ivery made his initial appearance in a Memphis court on Monday.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said in a press conference Sunday that the city of Milwaukee needs to pay closer attention to domestic violence.
“Last year in 2019 around 20 percent of our non-fatal shootings and homicides were intimate partner or domestic violence related,” Morales said during the press conference. “Now if we really want to make a change, it’s going to take city leadership, it’s going to take leadership in Milwaukee, it’s going to take communities and organizations that can obtain money to fund this problem and do something about it.”
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said autopsies were scheduled for Monday.
An Amber Alert was issued around noon Saturday for Banks and her daughters.
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