A New Jersey mother allegedly brutally attacked her two young children, ultimately killing them. Naomi Elkins, 27, had reportedly worked her shift at a day care just hours before calling emergency medical services to report that she had hurt her own children. The mother allegedly stabbed her 1-year-old daughter and then drowned her and her 3-year-old sister in the bathtub. Both children were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the New York Post, Elkins, who lived in a primarily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, apparently told police she killed her children for "religious reasons." She was arrested and charged with murder.
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Elkins reportedly took her children to work with her the day they died.
According to court documents obtained by the NY Post, Elkins worked at Giggles Daycare on June 25, and had taken her daughters to work with her that day. When she was finished working, the family reportedly used a car service provided by the business to return home.
After arriving home, "she believed she needed to kill the children for religious purposes," court documents state.
The mother allegedly stabbed one of the children before running a bath.
Police say Elkins told them she punctured the 1-year-old girl with a knife, and then filled the bathtub with water. She subsequently drowned both children by holding them down in the water, police say.
"She said that she counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time," the complaint reads.
Elkins apparently realized she'd done something wrong and called for help.
Per the NY Post, Elkins first called Hatzolah Medical Services and allegedly stated she had hurt her children. Hatzolah Medical Services went to the home and then contacted the Lakewood Township Police, which dispatched officers to the scene. Emergency responders attempted life-saving efforts on the children, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.
"It was further determined that the one year-old victim had been stabbed, and that both children had been drowned. Continuing investigation revealed that Elkins was responsible for the deaths of both of her children," a news release from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office reads.
Elkins was arrested without incident.
Police took her into custody and remanded her to the Ocean County Jail. Court documents reveal that Elkins told police she struggled with bad feelings when her husband, Edward Wiseman, went on a business trip in May.
She reportedly told police she understood what she had done. Elkins "indicated that she knew that it was illegal to kill her children and that what she did was wrong."
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The alleged killings rocked her religious community.
"'Ain milim' is a simple Hebrew phrase meaning, 'There are no words to describe.' The whole Jewish community in Lakewood — and way beyond — is still reeling from the tragic events that shook our collective essence to the core," Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg, a spokesperson for the Lakewood Vaad, a group of local Orthodox activists and business owners, said in a statement obtained by the Asbury Park Press.
He added, "The community reaches out with love and support to the families, neighbors, friends and even just casual acquaintances to be there be there for emotional support and counseling. Our medical, counseling and social services agencies are gearing up to meet the community's needs."
Elkins was charged with two counts of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Under New Jersey law, if convicted, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.
