Police investigating deaths of infant twins at homeless shelter
Police are investigating the deaths of infant twins after they died of cardiac arrest at a New York City-funded shelter.
The New York Police Department responded to a call for help at the Landing Hotel, a former hotel that has since been turned into a privately run city-funded shelter for the homeless in East Elmhurst, Queens, when the twins were discovered to not be breathing at about 3:15 p.m. on Friday afternoon, according to ABC News’ New York station WABC.
The twins, a two-month-old boy and girl were immediately taken to Elmhurst Hospital but were pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Police are now investigating if there was foul play involved in the deaths of the twins.
“I seen the two babies. That was awful. Very traumatic to see them come out. The babies was unresponsive they was different colors, blue … lifeless. It was just a horrible thing to see,” an unidentified witness at the shelter told WABC.
The children’s father allegedly told medics that he found them unconscious and unresponsive. He was escorted out of the Landing Hotel by investigators.
Authorities said the father told them he put the twins in separate cribs for a nap and returned to find them unresponsive. The cause of death of the infants was not immediately clear but authorities are hoping that autopsies on the children will yield more clues.
The identity of the father is not currently known. Other residents at the shelter say they knew little about the family involved in the case.
No charges have been filed in this case.
