Prosecutors say the 17-month-old boys were left alone in bathwater before relatives found them.

RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond mother charged in the drowning deaths of her 17-month-old twin sons was granted bond Tuesday as prosecutors described a fatal gap between her account and apartment camera footage.

Amaya Dixon, 21, faces two counts of felony murder and two counts of child neglect in the deaths of Ksyn and Kcye Dixon, who were pulled from a bathtub at a Southside apartment on April 17. The case has moved from an emergency call to a grand jury indictment and now to a bond order that lets Dixon leave jail under court limits while prosecutors continue toward trial.

Judge Charles Maxfield set bond at $20,000 in Richmond Circuit Court, dividing it into $5,000 for each of the four charges. Dixon cried during the hearing and said, “Thank you, God,” after the judge announced the decision. Outside the John Marshall Courthouse, the boys’ grandmother said the family was grateful Dixon could grieve with relatives. “We are thanking God that she can mourn with her family and mourn over her kids,” the grandmother said, adding that Dixon had not been able to take part in the burial process while jailed.

The hearing gave the public the clearest account so far of what prosecutors believe happened before police arrived at the apartment in the 1000 block of German School Road. Richmond Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joan Burroughs told the court that Dixon said she left the twins in the bathtub for about four minutes to get milk. Burroughs said camera footage showed Dixon was away for about 15 minutes and returned after receiving a call from her mother. The prosecutor said Dixon did not tell anyone she was leaving the boys in the bath.

Burroughs said Dixon’s 12-year-old brother found the twins struggling in the water. A 17-year-old brother then helped the boys while the younger brother called 911, according to the prosecutor’s account in court. Police have said officers were sent to the apartment at about 8:39 p.m. April 17 for a report of two injured children. Officers found the boys with what investigators described as apparent drowning injuries while in a bathtub. Both were taken to a local hospital. One boy died that night. Prosecutors said the other died three days later.

The prosecution also told the judge that the twins were developmentally delayed and could not support their own heads. That detail became central to the state’s argument that the boys were especially vulnerable in the bathtub. Police have not released a full minute-by-minute timeline, a motive or a complete account of who was inside the apartment before the 911 call. Authorities also have not said whether they believe the bathwater level, bathroom layout or any other physical evidence affected the boys’ ability to survive.

Dixon’s attorney, William Smith, pushed back against the state’s account and told the court his client had never been convicted of a crime. He said Dixon graduated from Armstrong High School, had strong family ties in South Richmond and did not pose a flight risk or a danger to the community. Smith described the deaths as “obviously unintentional.” The judge granted bond but barred Dixon from serving as a caretaker for minors while the case is pending, a condition that keeps the focus on child safety while leaving the murder charges unresolved.

The May 7 arrest followed indictments returned by a grand jury after a weeks-long investigation by Richmond police. The police advisory said Dixon was arrested that day and that a booking photo was not available at the time. The advisory listed the charges as two counts of felony murder and two counts of child neglect related to the deaths of the twins. It also said the Richmond Police Department’s Major Crimes detectives were seeking more information from anyone who knew about the incident.

Prosecutors also raised Dixon’s unrelated pending charges in Chesterfield County. Those allegations stem from December 2025 and involve financial and property crimes, including accusations tied to larceny from a vulnerable adult. Smith said Dixon had no criminal convictions. The Richmond charges remain separate from the Chesterfield cases, and no trial date has been set in the murder case. Dixon is due before a Chesterfield judge in August on the fraud allegations, according to statements made in court.

The case has left relatives speaking both about grief and about the presumption that accusations must be tested in court. Outside the courthouse, the boys’ grandmother said, “They’re accusations,” and described Dixon as “a loving and caring mom.” She said the family loved Ksyn and Kcye unconditionally and would hold them in their hearts. Those comments came after prosecutors laid out the state’s theory that the boys were left alone long enough for the bath to become deadly.

Police have not announced additional arrests. The next steps are expected to include continued evidence review, scheduling in Richmond Circuit Court and any motions filed by the defense or prosecution. As of Thursday, May 28, no Richmond trial date had been reported.

Author note: Last updated May 28, 2026.