NY - Twins, boy and girl, 5, found dead in Bronx apartment, no signs of obvious trauma, Mount Hope, 18 Dec 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

A boy and a girl, who are believed to be 5-year-old twins, were found dead.

Officials say there were no signs of obvious trauma, and their deaths remain under investigation.

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2 young children found dead in Mount Hope section of Bronx; investigation underway

First responders were called to the 200 block of East 175th Street in the Mount Hope section at 11:21 a.m. Monday.

abc7ny.com

 

[airportwoman]

If it wasn't carbon monoxide, maybe they got into some kind of household poison?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

If it wasn't carbon monoxide, maybe they got into some kind of household poison?

The rising surge of Fentanyl poisoning has me jumping to conclusions. I wish I didn’t automatically think of it. Babies, infants, toddlers are dying every day from the vile drug abuse. Twins, can you imagine finding them, especially if they were together.

 

[airportwoman]

I hadn't even thought of Fentanyl. Maybe rat or bug poison? Or some kind of cleaner that they shouldn't have been messing with? (Mixing bleach with ammonia as an example.)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The mother was in the apartment when police arrived, police said. The mother is now in the hospital for treatment and is not injured, but emotionally distraught.

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FOX 5 NY learned the children were pulled from school last week after they were sick and police are holding out hope that no one is at fault, while struggling to process this scene

5-year-old twins found dead in the Bronx

According to police, the boy and girl, who are five-year-old twins, were found dead in a Mount Hope apartment.

www.fox5ny.com

 

[airportwoman]

Children are much more sensitive to CO than adults, so maybe the parents weren't knowingly affected but it was enough to kill the children.

 

[tlcya]

anxious to learn what caused these deaths. RIP little ones. Prayers for loved ones. It's a mystery. sent home ill last week and dead this. I wonder what their symptoms were at school to cause them to be sent home. Carbon Monoxide poisoning would be my first guess but if the building has been tested and found not to be an issue, then something else at school or home? Fentanyl was a thought. It's on the news a lot lately, remember the daycare recently in the news?!

I'll be watching for more info on this one.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*incredibly sad. just days before Christmas

 

[gliving]

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The kids were reportedly both sick leading up to their deaths. The boy had been having cold symptoms for around one to two weeks prior to Monday, having been sent home from school last Tuesday, as well as on Nov. 30 because he was vomiting, officials said. His sister was suffering from an ear infection, according to the mom, vomiting and “acting irrational,” biting and spitting at school, according to authorities.

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A search warrant of the apartment revealed no narcotics or paraphernalia, and FDNY found no indication of carbon monoxide, Kenny said.

No foul play suspected after twin 5-year-olds found dead inside Bronx apartment: NYPD

The 911 operator instructed the children's mother on how to perform CPR, and EMS also tried to help the children once they arrived, but they were pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m.

gothamist.com

(Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio.)

 

[Laughing]

Re: carbon monocide/any inhaled toxin -- an active 5 year old usually weighs between 35 & 50 pounds:

Normal Growth | Childhood Development

Review a chart showing a range of normal height and weight measurements for boys and girls.

www.cincinnatichildrens.org

Adults generally weigh between 150 & 200 pounds.

So -- an adult may need to breath in 3 to 4 times as much toxin to match the child's symptoms.

Sad all around.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Rosydecember]

oh my goodness, my heart is breaking…. She was going to take them to the hospital when they woke up from their nap…. But they never woke up

 

[MsMarple]

Such an odd case. Could Reye Syndrome have been the cause?

Reye's syndrome, also known as Reye syndrome, is a rare but serious condition that causes swelling in the liver and brain. Reye's syndrome can occur at any age but usually affects children and teenagers after a viral infection, most commonly the flu or chickenpox.

Symptoms such as confusion, seizures and loss of consciousness need emergency treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment of Reye's syndrome can save a child's life.

Reye's syndrome - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org

Whatever the cause I can’t begin to imagine the pain of losing both twins. Heartbreaking.

 

[meanmaryjean]

My mind goes to some type of unregulated folk remedy.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Sincere condolences to their loved-ones.

Since they were possibly having symptoms over time, I wonder if they were exposed to some toxin around their home or repeatedly given an overdose of some kind of medication?

 

[abanddb123]

Lead poisoning? I don't know how, but maybe.

 

[ifindedout]

Lead poisoning? I don't know how, but maybe.

Some folk medicines have been known to contain lead. From 2008:

Folk remedies common cause of lead poisoning

www.nbcnews.com

In Texas, California and Arizona, lead poisoning has been traced to Mexican remedies such as greta, azarcon and rueda — powders that are given to treat constipation in children and contain as much as 90 percent lead. In New York City and Rhode Island, high lead levels in the blood have been tied to litargirio, a powder containing up to 79 percent lead. It is used by Dominican immigrants for such ills as foot fungus and body odor.

 

[MsMarple]

My mind goes to some type of unregulated folk remedy.

The link upthread notes that the family is from Ghana so yes, maybe some sort of treatment commonly used in their homeland that had a fatal outcome.
MOO

 

[Pseudonymph]

Lead poisoning is more common in immigrant children (no idea where they were born) and some of the symptoms including apparent learning delays and vomiting are certainly indicative. If their apartment is contaminated, being home more days due to illness could result in more exposure than usual. Lead can of course be fatal. What doesn't make sense is them dying simultaneously. That requires something they both ingested at the same time in equal fatal concentrations, such as household poison.

Could it be rabies? That would certainly be out of left field but the symptoms are similar.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Could it be rabies? That would certainly be out of left field but the symptoms are similar.

I don't think the need for seeking hospitalization could be "missed" with rabies, and they likely wouldn't die on the same day, but I am just guessing.

 

[Pseudonymph]

I don't think the need for seeking hospitalization could be "missed" with rabies, and they likely wouldn't die on the same day, but I am just guessing.

Good point, it's not going to be simultaneous. I wonder if the illness and special needs aren't a red herring. Because of being sick they were home more, possibly bored, and thus got into something they shouldn't.