A Florida mother pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges stemming from the deaths of her twin children, who police say were killed as part of an attempted murder-suicide.
Shirlene Napoleon Alcime, 42, was charged on two counts of child neglect causing great bodily harm in connection to the deaths of her 3-year-old twins, Milendhet and Milendhere G. Napoleon-Cadet, according to a police report cited by NBC affiliate WTVJ.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by HuffPost, Miami-Dade police were called on Feb. 2 to report of a woman in distress on the highway and found Alcime walking to the barrier wall of an overpass bridge.
Police said Alcime “willfully threw herself over in an attempt to commit suicide,” but survived the fall, according to the affidavit. Alcime was taken to the hospital for her injuries, in “critical but stable” condition.
Responding officers also discovered Alcime’s car parked on the shoulder of the overpass bridge with her two children inside. They were “visibly foaming from the mouth and nose,” according to the affidavit. The children were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Alcime’s live-in boyfriend, who is also the biological father of the deceased twins, had reported the three missing, according to the affidavit.
Media reports identified Alcime’s boyfriend as Milson Cadet. “I just want to know what happened,” Cadet told the Miami Herald through a translator.
Cadet told WTVJ that Alcime had owned businesses in the Miami area. Court records reviewed by HuffPost show she and her family had faced a number of eviction cases in the past two years.
According to the police report cited by WTJV, Alcime allegedly told investigators that she had been plotting to kill herself and children for months, “due to her current financial status and multiple debt(s) that she owes.” She reportedly spent the day driving around different location to find a bridge to jump off.
“The defendant admitted to contemplating jumping off the bridge with both victims or throwing them off one by one and then jumping to end their lives,” police report obtained by WTVJ said, per the station.
Speaking at Alcime’s arraignment on Tuesday, Judge Mindy Glazer said there may be a probable cause for her to be additionally charged with murder in connection to the the twins’ death, if state prosecutors decide to charge her, WTVJ reported.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for a statement confirming the twin’s manner and cause of death. According to Alcime’s court records, her next hearing is on Mar. 6.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.