LAKEWOOD, NJ – The quiet community of Lakewood, New Jersey, was rocked by a tragic event on Tuesday afternoon when a local mother was arrested for the alleged murder of her two young children. Sources from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office have confirmed that 27-year-old Naomi Elkins now faces grim charges, including two counts of murder, alongside weapon-related offenses in an incident that has shocked the township.
Initially alerted by a distressing 911 call reporting two children undergoing cardiac arrest, Lakewood Township Police Department rushed to a residence on Shenandoah Drive just before 5 p.m. There, they discovered emergency medical personnel from Hatzolah Medical Services working desperately to resuscitate the children. Sadly, despite their efforts, both the 1-year-old and 3-year-old were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The subsequent investigation quickly unfolded the harrowing details surrounding the young siblings’ deaths. Authorities pieced together evidence that Elkins, the children’s mother, fatally stabbed her 1-year-old child before drowning both in what has been described as a senseless act of violence. Additional reports allude to the bathtub at their home as the grim setting of the drowning.
As the community grieves the heartbreaking loss, law enforcement officials transported Elkins to the Ocean County Jail. There, she was denied bond during her preliminary court hearing, a gravity underscored by the charges she is now facing.
While prosecutors have yet to propose a motive behind this devastating crime, Elkins’ attorney, Mitch Ansell, has not provided any immediate comments on the case.
The scene of the incident, painted by bystanders and local media, evokes a deeper sorrow; nearby were a playground and children’s toys—a stark contrast to the heavy police presence and the unraveling of such a tragic story. Lakewood, with its significant Orthodox Jewish population serviced by the volunteer organization Hatzolah, is united in mourning.
Mayor Raymond Coles expressed his sorrow to the local press, saying, “Anything involving children hurts, and it makes it more powerful and sad.” He echoed the sentiments of a shaken community, coming to terms with the dreadful realization that such an unimaginable event occurred in their midst.
The case is an ongoing investigation as more details are expected to emerge, and as a township mourns, unanswered questions about how such a tragedy could happen linger in the hearts of Lakewood’s residents.
