Naomi Elkins, Lakewood, N.J mom murders her two young daughters, ages 1 and 3, in a crime that has left the local ultra orthodox Jewish community in shock and searching for answers. In an update, mom says she killed her kids for ‘religious reasons.’
An ultra orthodox Jewish community in New Jersey has been rocked following reports of a local mother of two allegedly killing her two young daughters.
Naomi Elkins, 27, of Lakewood, N.J was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, possession of a weapon and other offenses following the alleged murder of her two children, ages 1 and 3.
In an updated report, the mother admitted killing her two children and then calling private ambulance services akin to the ultra orthodox community for ‘religious reasons.’
‘Bad feelings’
Officers had been called to an address on Shenandoah Drive in the New Jersey town, which is known for its large Orthodox Jewish population, following reports of two children in cardiac arrest just on 4.50pm, Tuesday afternoon, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Officers arrived to find the two children, aged one and three, being given life-saving aid by Hatzolah Medical Services, a Jewish volunteer ambulance program who the mother had called to the residence, ‘upon realizing she had done something wrong.’
The two sisters were pronounced dead at the scene, with an investigation determining that the one-year-old was stabbed and that both children had been drowned by Elkins.
Sources told NBC10 that the children were drowned in the bathtub at the address.
Not immediately was the whereabouts of the children’s father, Edward Wiseman, 26, at the time of the incident.
Religious reasons
Elkins told police that she previously struggled with ‘bad feelings’ on May 24, when her husband left on a business trip.
During police questioning, Elkins ‘indicated that she knew that it was illegal to kill her children and that what she did was wrong,’ the write-up noted.
The mother told police that she worked at a Giggles Daycare that day and that her daughters attended the daycare while she worked there, and they used a car service to travel to and from the location, the parent said.
When Elkins arrived home with the children, ‘she believed she needed to kill the children for religious purposes,’ a criminal complaint stated, the nypost reported.
Elkins told police that she stabbed and ‘slightly punctured’ one of her daughters with a knife before running a bath.
Counted up to 50 multiple times to make sure the children had drowned
She then allegedly brought one of the children into the bathroom and held her underwater for two to three minutes.
At that point, Elkins said, the other child ran into the second bathroom screaming.
Elkins followed the girl and ran a bath in that room, which she then placed the child in and held her underwater.
‘She said that she counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time,’ the criminal complaint stated.
Elkins told police that she then realized she had done something wrong, and called the Hatzolah Medical Services saying that she hurt her children.
In court on Wednesday afternoon, Elkins appeared before Judge Scott Basen virtually who set a court date of July 1 for her first appearance.
Footage from the alleged crime scene showed investigators coming and going and removing items from the home before packing them into a Sheriff’s Office vehicle.
A children’s tricycle and a swing set was also seen outside of the home where the children had been allegedly murdered.
Authorities said that Elkins was taken into custody ‘without incident’ at the scene and was taken to the Ocean County Jail.
According to jail records, Elkins is married and also has a masters degree.
The murders happened in a typically quiet Orthodox Jewish community, which is home to the world’s largest yeshiva outside of Israel.
The Beth Medrash Govoha is a educational facility which focuses on the study of the Torah.
According to a report by the Jewish News Syndicate in 2019, half of the residents are Orthodox Jews.
Mayor Raymond Coles told APP: ‘It’s a horrible thing to know that something like that happened here.
‘I always wait for the official information and stay out of the way. From what I know, it is the worst possible thing that can happen, anything involving children hurts and it makes it more powerful and sad.’
‘[The Orthodox community] ‘are all stick in shock and I do not want to insert myself.
‘From the second they found out about it, the support networks kick in. They do not have to worry about people being supportive.’
To date no motive for the murders was immediately known.
