Woman arrested after 2 toddler girls killed inside NJ home: Sources

A woman was taken into custody after two toddler girls were killed inside their New Jersey home, sources told NBC New York.

The heart-wrenching scene was uncovered Tuesday night inside the house on Shenandoah Drive near Rockbridge Road in Lakewood, according to sources and law enforcement.

Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told NBC New York a woman was taken into custody in connection with the double murder of the two girls, both of whom were just 3 years old or younger. Sources said that drowning and stabbing appeared to be involved in the gruesome slaying, with possibly one or both children stabbed, though the cause and manner of death for the girls was not immediately clear.

At one point, more than a dozen officers from both the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and Lakewood Police Department were seen in the driveway, entering and exiting the home as patrol cars lined the block.

The sources did not elaborate on the woman’s relationship to the children, but it is believed she may be related to the toddlers; it was not clear if she was the girls’ mother. It was not known what charges the woman might face.

Further details regarding the disturbing incident were not immediately available. Lakewood police would only confirm that they were investigating the death of two young kids, referring questions to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Calls and messages sent by NBC New York to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office were not immediately answered.

An investigation was ongoing.