A young mother is now in custody after the death of her two children who were found dead in a Bronx family shelter Saturday evening.
The boys, ages 3 years old and 11 months old, were found with multiple stab wounds submerged underwater in a tub with clothes over their bodies, according to police.
Neighbors who live down the hall say they heard the couple arguing and screaming Friday night. The father of the 11-month-old boy allegedly slept in a car outside of the apartment after that argument.
Officers first responded to a 911 call to the third-floor apartment on Echo Place where they found 22-year-old Dimone Fleming inside naked, acting erratically while trying to burn things in the kitchen, according to police.
Frances Pimemtel crossed paths with the mother outside before the call, and says Fleming was repeatedly saying 'what I did.'
Officers were told the woman's two children were with their father, so they took the woman to the hospital for evaluation.
The father heard what happened and rushed into the apartment where he allegedly found the children in the tub under a pile of clothes.
Neighbors heard the father screaming for help and called 911 again.
"He was screaming hysterically," neighbor Shannon Holyfield said. "He was screaming, 'Help me!' And I came and opened my door and I see him coming down the hall with the two boys in his arms. They were dead, they were dead. There was blood everywhere."
Officers and another family member attempted to resuscitate the boys, who were rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital where they were declared dead.
Detectives believe the woman fatally stabbed her children in the neck and torso, although an autopsy will determine if they died from those wounds or from drowning.
"It's something that they are going to have to live with and think about probably for the rest of their lives," NYPD Deputy Chief Louis De Ceglie said. "We have very experienced police officers. I think they are the best. They are able to handle and cope with any situation."
A memorial was started outside the shelter Sunday morning in memory of the two young victims. Friends and family are rallying around the father. He said he is not ready to talk, but says he does want the truth out there as the mother of the kids undergoes a psychiatric exam.