Two infants were found dead inside a Woodside apartment on Thursday afternoon, and detectives have charged their 23-year-old mother for their murder.
Police made the horrific discovery while responding with FDNY units to a wellness check called in at about 3:10 p.m. on April 22 at the Woodside Houses, located at 31-76 51st St.
According to Chief of Housing David Barrere, the officers from NYPD Public Service Area 9 met with concerned family members and knocked on the door to Danezja Kilpatrick’s fifth-floor apartment. Once they got inside, he said, they encountered a nightmarish scene.
Barrere said one of the infants was found lifeless inside a crib with trauma to their body. The officers then asked about a second baby inside the home, and Kilpatrick pointed them toward a sink.
“Officers discovered a second child under the sink area, wrapped in a blanket, who was also unconscious and unresponsive,” Barrere said.
Responding EMS units pronounced both babies dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner’s office will conduct autopsies to determine the cause of their deaths.
The infants were later identified as Dakota Bentley and Dallis Bentley, who were both 46 days old, according to authorities.
Police immediately took Kilpatrick into custody for further questioning. Barrere said that officers also recovered a knife at the scene. Kilpatrick was charged with murder, acting in a manner injurious to a child and criminal possession of a weapon on Friday, April 23.
According to Barrere, one of the mother’s relatives called 911 on Thursday out of concern for her children. He did not go into details as to what prompted such concern.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police determined that Kilpatrick does not have a prior criminal record. The status of the children’s father remains unknown at this time.
As the sun set Thursday, crime scene investigators and other NYPD remained at the scene seeking further evidence.
It’s the latest tragedy to befall the Woodside Houses public housing complex. In March, two people were shot dead in separate shootings, including Gudelia Valinas, who was fatally struck down by a stray bullet fired during a battle between warring groups.
This story was updated at 4:40 p.m., on Friday, April 23, 2021. This story first appeared on amny.com.
