The mother of 5-year-old twins who died of suffocation in her Bronx apartment late last year was found vomiting and foaming at the mouth and has been charged with murder, the New York City Police Department said.
Gloria Asamoah, 42, is being held in a psychiatric ward. Her son and daughter, George Kantanka and Gianna Kantanka, were found dead on the living room floor of the family’s unit on East 175th Street near Weeks Avenue in Mount Hope. Nearly four months after the incident, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney told reporters Tuesday.
“This time, a warrant has been issued for the mother’s arrest,” Kenney said at a press conference. “She is back in the psych ward. She is not free to leave at any time. She will remain there until cleared by her doctor, at which point she will be taken into NYPD custody.”
“She has already been indicted on multiple charges, including two counts of felonies for both children, including murder.”
She was still not in custody late Wednesday morning.
Investigators initially believed the children’s deaths were tragic and did not suspect any criminal activity.
Kenney said the family had no previous domestic incident reports or outstanding cases with the city’s Department of Children’s Services.
“There was food in the fridge and lots of clothes for the kids,” Kenny said. “During interviews at the school, teachers stated that the mother was very involved with the children and played an active role in their lives.
“Neighbor interviews say she was a loving mother,” he added. “We interviewed the father and there was no sign of a problem. This is one of the reasons we always say the information is preliminary and subject to change,” she said. is.”
The tide changed on March 13, when the city medical examiner’s office ruled that George and Gianna’s cause of death was asphyxiation and that the twins’ deaths were officially considered homicides.
Kenny said the siblings, who were diagnosed with autism, were “special needs” children who were both sick on the day they were found dead and had skipped school and stayed home. there was.
The boy had been ill for two weeks with cold symptoms and had been sent home from school the week before.
The mother told police that her sister had an ear infection, was vomiting and was acting “irrationally,” including “biting and spitting at school.” Ta.
Law enforcement officials said the twins’ mother was so traumatized by her children’s deaths that she had to be hospitalized for observation.
“She’s from Ghana,” Kenny said. “She came to this country when she was 23 years old. She lived in several states before moving to the Bronx with her husband, who she had been with for 10 years.”
The children’s father, who was working in Port Chester at the time, rushed home when he learned what had happened, authorities and sources said.
He will not be charged, Kenney said.
“I’m no good,” the distraught father told the Post the day after his death. “I lost two children. It’s not good.”
