Twin 2-Year-Old Girls Found Dead in ‘Suicidal’ Mom’s Car
A Long Island mother has been charged with the death of her twin toddler daughters in a case that has shocked their community. Jasmine and Jaida from Campbell Medford, New York, were found in cardiac arrest in the back of their mom's vehicle after she called her mother from the road threatening to kill herself and her 2-year-old daughters. After a frantic search by authorities to locate the family, the chase ended in tragedy when police found the girls unresponsive and they were later pronounced dead.
The search for the twins started when their grandma frantically called police Thursday, saying their mom was threatening to kill herself and her twins.
Twenty-four-year-old Tenia Campbell's mother, Vanessa McQueen, called police to report that her daughter called her hysterically crying about 2 p.m. Thursday, according to ABC 7. "She kept saying she was sorry, but she didn't want to live anymore," McQueen wrote in a statement.
McQueen told the 911 dispatcher that her daughter then threatened to kill herself and her twins, and when the grandmother asked her daughter about the girls, Campbell told her, "They are already dead. I killed them with my bare hands."
Shortly after her confession, Campbell hung up on the call, which was when McQueen rushed to call authorities, according to police.
Police conducted a countywide search for the mom in crisis and her toddlers but didn't find her until about 4 p.m., 60 miles away from her home.
When police located Campbell, both of her twin daughters were in the vehicle, but the girls were reportedly in cardiac arrest. Authorities tried to revive the girls with CPR and rushed them to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, the mom allegedly yelled at officers to shoot her, but instead they apprehended her and took her into custody. She has since been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
Police have yet to disclose how the twins died, though there were "no outward signs of trauma." A medical examiner will do an autopsy on the girls to discover their exact cause of death.
In an interview, McQueen explained that her daughter had been diagnosed with mental health issues and has battled depression her entire life.
McQueen disclosed that Campbell was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that when she had spoken to her previously, she advised Campbell to "take a break from the kids and let me have them so she could recharge herself, but she always says she can handle it."
Campbell also has a 4-year-old son, but the boy has been living with his father.
Neighbor Aleshia Pike told the New York Post some of her fond memories of the twin girls. "They had twin Power Wheel Jeeps, and they would always come outside and ride them around while the brother would chase them, laughing and giggling,” she said.“They were just your typical little girls -- playful, happy."
Another neighbor was shocked when she spoke to ABC 7: "Never would have thought she was going through the things she was going through. She seemed like she had it all together," she said.
Campbell is due back in court Wednesday to sign paperwork. She faces 25 years to life for each daughter because of the second-degree murder charges. If she's convicted, the sentences will be served consecutively to account for both of the victims.