Mom accused of drowning, stabbing toddler daughters at NJ home

Police gather outside the home where two little girls were pronounced dead on Tuesday afternoon. Thomas P. Costello / Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

A young New Jersey mother has been charged with murder in connection with the drowning deaths of her toddler daughters, officials said.

Naomi Elkins, 27, was arrested on Tuesday, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

Officers responded to a report of two children in cardiac arrest at a Lakewood residence around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.

Naomi Elkins, 27, is currently being held on murder charges. Ocean County Jail

At the scene, police found Hatzolah Medical Services – a Jewish volunteer ambulance program that is common in religious communities – performing lifesaving measures on two girls, ages 1 and 3.

Both children were later pronounced dead at the scene, the prosecutor said.

An investigation determined that the 1-year-old had been stabbed, and that both girls were drowned.

Elkins was taken into custody at the scene “without incident,” authorities said.

Investigators were spotted around the house in the hours after the grisly find. Thomas P. Costello / Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

She was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where she being held without bail on two counts of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Elkins is married and has a Master’s degree, according to jail records. It was not clear when she will appear in court.

On Tuesday night, crime scene tape was spotted around the home where the girls were found, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Investigators were seen coming and going from the home the wake of the killings.