Florida authorities have charged a mother who jumped from an interstate ramp in an apparent suicide attempt after her 3-year-old twins were found unresponsive in a nearby car.
Shirlene Napoleon Alcime, 42, now faces two counts of child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Notably, she is not facing murder charges. Police told the Miami Herald that new charges may be added or existing charges altered once Alcime’s toxicology results are available.
Alcime was arrested Thursday afternoon. On Feb. 2, her fraternal 3-year-old twins were found unresponsive in a silver Toyota Highlander on I-95 in north Miami-Dade, shortly after their mother got out of the vehicle and attempted to kill herself, according to investigators.
During an interview with police three days later, the mother allegedly said she planned a murder-suicide because of her financial situation, an arrest report reads.
Alcime told investigators that she had considered jumping off the interstate bridge while holding her children or throwing them off before jumping herself. But instead, she left her children behind in the SUV and jumped off the highway.
According to the report, a tow truck driver saw Alcime on the bridge and asked her if she needed help. She told the driver that her children were in the back seat of the SUV unresponsive.
The driver called 911 and started performing CPR on her son, the report says. He told Alcime to unbuckle her daughter and start doing CPR on her. But when police lights and sirens approached, Alcime instead walked over to the barrier wall and jumped over.
The children were declared dead at Jackson North Medical Center. Investigators noted Thursday that they were foaming at the mouth when found.
