I was also surprised to learn this news. My only excuse is that LE was consistently quoted in every news article saying he believed this to be a tragedy... there were no signs of foul play, injuries, strangulation... no history of domestic violence... everyone says the mother was doting and involved in her children's healthcare and schooling, etcetera etcetera.
In light of the recent news, I went back through the news articles. Unfortunately, I don't believe this will be a case of accidental smothering while sleeping in the same bed for two reasons.
1) The children weren't infants.
2) Both children had been sick for
more than a week (but with different symptoms) and at least one child had been exhibiting strange and erratic behavior.
And also! Despite the claims that mom was involved in the children's healthcare, she hadn't taken them to see a doctor.
Here are a few snippets from some of the earlier news articles:
No foul play suspected after twin 5-year-olds found dead inside Bronx apartment: NYPD
Kenny said the twins' mother called 911 after finding both children — a boy and a girl — cold and not breathing
in her bed, where they usually slept. “Both were found foaming at the mouth and nose at the time of their discovery,” Kenny said. “Mom indicates that the last time they were seen alive was at 5 a.m.”
Deaths of 5-Year-Old Twins in Bronx Apartment Remain a Mystery
The twins, who both have special needs,
had been ill in recent weeks, according to Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives at the New York Police Department. The boy was vomiting at school on Nov. 30 and sent home. Then, on Dec. 12, he had a runny nose and other cold-like symptoms and was sent home again.
The mother, who has not been named by the police, also told officers that her daughter had recently had an ear infection, had vomited, and had been biting and spitting at school, Chief Kenny said.
The mother did not take her children to see a doctor, Chief Kenny added.
Twins found dead in NYC apartment were foaming at the mouth and nose
The children's father is a home health attendant who had urged his wife to take them to the emergency room. She last saw them alive at 5am and planned to take them to the hospital when they woke up but found them lifeless at 11am.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/bronx-twins-dead-morris-heights/4964653/
Investigators said the kids had been sick for several days and were sent home from school last week; the pair again stayed home from school on Monday. It was not clear what illness the children had, but the boy had been sick for a week or two with cold symptoms, including vomiting and discharging green mucus. The girl had been vomiting, dealing with an ear infection and acting irrationally, according to police.
What exactly they were sick with was not clear. Both children were found foaming at the mouth and nose, police said. That came after reports of the children acting strangely and irrationally at school, including biting and spitting. The boy had already been diagnosed with special needs, while his sister was in the process of being diagnosed.
The father, who was not home at the time the children were found, was questioned by police Monday afternoon after rushing home from work as a home health care attendant in Port Chester. Their mother, meanwhile, had been admitted to the hospital for shock and emotional trauma.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.cbsnews.com
