Police: Mother Intentionally Drove Car Into River With 9-Year-Old Daughters

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
June 18, 2019US News
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Police: Mother Intentionally Drove Car Into River With 9-Year-Old Daughters
The Kalamazoo River in a file photo. (Google Maps)

Police officials in Michigan said that a 44-year-old mother intentionally drove her car into a river with her 9-year-old twin daughters inside.

The body of the second child was discovered in the Kalamazoo River on June 18, a day after the crash, reported WWMT. The first child and mother had already been found dead.

Police said they first found out about what happened when a caller said two girls were looking for their uncle. They found him and said that a relative drove her car into the river, which was nearby, with two children inside.

The girls were in the car but were able to get out before it was driven into the river.

“They were young girls, so that information was pieced together with the help of family members and officers on the scene,” Kalamazoo public safety Chief Karianne Thomas said, reported MLive.

Police think the mother drove the car into the vehicle intentionally, based on the investigation so far.

“This is just a tragedy,” Thomas added, reported WWMT. “This is just a tragedy for our community.”

The names of those involved have not been released as of yet pending notification of surviving family members.

Officials said they weren’t sure what motivated the mother to carry out the alleged murder-suicide.

“It’s a question here in Kalamazoo that we’re all asking,” Thomas said of the possible reason behind the deaths, according to the Associated Press. “We don’t have an answer.”

The investigation included establishing a timeline, including identifying everyone in contact with the mother in the hours leading up to the tragedy.

Texas Mother Charged

A Texas mother has been charged with attempted capital murder of her 4-month-old daughter, after she allegedly punched, then attempted to smother her, according to court documents.

The 20-year-old mother, Meredith Nicole Deen, was charged in connection with the June 13 incident at her home in southeast Houston.

According to court documents, Deen’s live-in boyfriend witnessed the ordeal and described how she attempted to smother the child by sitting on her while covering her with pillows and blankets.

Deen’s boyfriend was woken up to the sound of the infant crying, and had to pull her off the child, authorities said.

The witness told investigators he heard the child’s mother say “why don’t you die, why are you still alive” as she placed blankets and pillows over her daughter and sat on top of them, according to court documents, reported Fox13.

He added that Deen placed the items on top of her child again later that night.

The infant’s mother also said she wanted to throw her daughter against the wall, her boyfriend told deputies.

When the couple were on their way to drop the child off at daycare on June 14, Deen reportedly attacked her boyfriend, with court documents describing how the mother kicked and punched him in the vehicle.

When the pair arrived, court documents state workers at the Spring daycare noticed Deen’s daughter was trembling and shaking, and all employees were immediately worried about her and Deen’s wellbeing.

Daycare manager Amy Ray told ABC13, “Once they informed me they were on their way to our location, I decided to call the cops so they could interfere with the mother here and whatever had happened at her house.”

Once Deen’s boyfriend told the daycare workers what had happened the day before, they contacted Harris County police officers.

“It’s scary because it’s not common to have EMS and cops all around our building,” Ray told ABC13. “But we definitely just want the child to be protected.”

Epoch Times reporter Isabel Van Brugen contributed to this report.

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