New Jersey mother accused of drowning her 2 young daughters

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (TCN) -- A 27-year-old mother faces charges in the deaths of her two young daughters after allegedly stabbing one of them and drowning both this week.

According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, on Tuesday, June 25, at around 4:50 p.m., the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to a home where medical personnel from Hatzolah, a Jewish ambulance service, were attempting lifesaving measures on two children in cardiac arrest. Despite their efforts, the victims, ages 1 and 3, were pronounced deceased.

The children’s mother, Naomi Elkins, allegedly stabbed the 1-year-old and drowned both of them.

Elkins faces two counts of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. She was booked into the Ocean County Jail, where she remains held without bail.

In a statement obtained by the Asbury Park Press, Mayor Raymond Coles said, "It’s a horrible thing to know that something like that happened here."

He added that the local Orthodox Jewish community "are all still in shock, and I do not want to insert myself."