Two infant twin siblings were found dead inside their home at a Queens New York City Housing Authority development, law enforcement sources told NBC New York.
The twins, who appeared to be a boy and a girl less than 2 months old, were discovered at the Woodside Houses in Woodside, three sources said. A cousin of the children's mother called 911 just after 3 p.m. Thursday, requesting officers conduct a wellness check after they hadn't heard from the mother and wanted to know where the young children were, two senior NYPD officials said.
Responding officers found the infants unconscious and unresponsive, and were later pronounced dead by EMS. Senior law enforcement officials said that one of the young children, a boy identified as Dallis Bentley, was found in a crib and appeared to have been stabbed in the torso.
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The other infant, a girl identified as Dakota Bentley, was discovered wrapped in pink blanket under a sink after the mother pointed to the cabinet when asked, officials familiar with the matter said; it was not known if Dakota had sustained similar injuries as her brother, as officials were waiting on the medical examiner to look at her body.
The twins were said to have been born on March 7, making them just over 6 weeks old at the time they were found by first responders. Their deaths are being treated as suspicious by police thus far, and investigators are at the scene collecting clues and evidence, including a knife that was recovered.
Their 23-year-old mother was taken into police custody and is being questioned at the 114th precinct, law enforcement sources said. It was not know if she was likely to face charges. There was no indication that the family had any previous domestic incidents or involvement from the city's Administration for Children's Services, official familiar with the matter said.
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The city medical examiner transported the bodies from the scene to determine a cause of death for the twins. An investigation is ongoing.
