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BAYOU LA BATRE (Alabama) - A VIETNAMESE man angered after a dispute with his wife confessed to tossing his four young children off an Alabama bridge, authorities said.
Lam Luong, 37, was charged with four counts of capital murder, and divers searched the murky waters Wednesday for the bodies of the youngsters, who ranged in age from a few months to 3 years.
Luong had a drug habit and had argued with his wife, Ms Ngoc Phan, before taking the children, said Phan's brother-in-law, Mr Kam Phengsisomboun. He said the family initially feared Luong had traded the children to support his drug habit.
Luong's girlfriend was a factor in the couple's argument on Sunday and Monday morning, family members and police said.
Authorities said they believe Luong then drove on Monday to the two-lane Dauphin Island bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, stopped at the highest part of the span and threw the youngsters over the side.
Luong reported the children missing on Monday, initially telling police that he had given the kids to his girlfriend, who was living in a nearby hotel, and that she failed to return them.
But authorities said they found holes in his account, and he later changed his story.
Missing victims
Missing and presumed dead were 4-month-old Danny Luong; 1-year-old Lindsey Luong; 2-year-old Hannah Luong; and 3-year-old Ryan Phan. Phan is not the man's biological child, but Luong raised him from infancy, authorities said.
The search area covered 259 square kilometres because the current might have swept the children away, Sheriff Sam Cochran said.
The search was called off late on Wednesday afternoon when dense fog rolled in, obscuring the bridge. It was to resume in the morning, weather permitting.
Luong was scheduled to appear in court Thursday. District Attorney John Tyson said he did not believe Luong had a lawyer.
Luong's background
Luong came to Alabama from Vietnam in 1984 and worked as a shrimper, Phengsisomboun said. The couple lived with Phan's mother at Bayou La Batre, a fishing village 32 kilometres southwest of Mobile with a large Southeast Asian community.
Luong had a crack habit and had run through an insurance settlement from an auto accident, Mr Phengsisomboun said. Authorities in Mobile confirmed Luong had a history of drug abuse but had no details.
Ms Phan, 23, was in seclusion Wednesday morning at her mother's home.
Some family members and friends held out hope that the children were not dead.
'I just pray for the kids, that they are still alive,' said Mr Van Lam, a family friend. -- AP
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