Florida authorities have officially charged a mother with the aggravated manslaughter of her 3-year-old twins, following an extensive investigation. The 43-year-old woman, Shirlene N. Alcime, was apprehended after a distressing incident on Interstate 95 on February 2.
According to Miami-Dade police, officers were dispatched to the scene where Alcime allegedly jumped from the expressway wall onto the train tracks below. Upon their arrival, they discovered her twins, Milendhet and Milendhere Napoleon-Cadet, unresponsive in the backseat of a nearby vehicle. The children, who were reportedly foaming at the mouth, were pronounced dead shortly after.
Despite the fall, Alcime survived and was subsequently hospitalized. She was later found in a wheelchair during her court appearance on Friday. Prior to this incident, she was already in custody for aggravated child neglect with bodily harm, a charge to which she has pleaded not guilty.
During the investigation, Alcime reportedly denied administering anything to her children that could have caused their condition. However, she confessed to being in severe financial difficulty and expressed fear that leaving her children with their father would result in them becoming homeless or forced to sleep in a car.
She also allegedly admitted to taking her children to McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese on the day of the incident, wanting them to “have a good day.” Furthermore, officers reported that Alcime confessed to contemplating suicide by jumping off the bridge with her children or throwing them off one by one.
While authorities initially considered pressing murder charges, they refrained from doing so immediately due to the ongoing preliminary investigation. This included pending toxicology screenings on the children. The cause of death for Milendhet and Milendhere is yet to be disclosed.