New Jersey mother says she drowned her children in a bathtub for ‘religious purposes’

Naomi Elkins said she ‘counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time’

A New Jersey mother accused of drowning her two young daughters in a bathtub said she carried out the horrific killings for “religious purposes,” new court documents revealed.

Naomi Elkins, 27, was living in a basement apartment in Lakewood with her children, ages 1 and 3, and her husband, who was out of state on business on June 25, when the tragedy happened.

Elkins called Hatzolah Medical Service and told them she hurt her kids. When medics arrived, both girls were found wet and without their clothes. The younger child had a stab wound to her stomach. Despite CPR attempts, both children were pronounced dead of pediatric cardiac arrest at the scene.

The girls’ mother later told investigators that she had been having “concerning thoughts” and had spent the night before praying. After leaving the daycare where she worked, she headed back to her house and “once she was home, she believed that she needed to kill the children for religious purposes,” according to charging documents obtained by News 12 and reviewed by The Independent.

Elkins allegedly stabbed her one-year-old daughter and then placed her in the bathtub and “[held] her underwater” for what she estimated to be two to three minutes.

The three-year-old allegedly “ran into another bathroom and was screaming because she was scared,” according to Elkins, who allegedly followed her daughter into that bathroom, ran another bath and then forced her under the water “for several minutes.”

Elkins told investigators that “she counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time.”

Naomi Elkins pictured in a booking photo. Police say the 27-year-old drowned her two children, stabbing the youngest as well (Ocean County Government)

Once both girls had stopped breathing, Elkins said she “realized that she had done something wrong,” and called Hatzolah Medical Service, according to the documents.

At the suggestion of the responding detective, she wrote a letter to her daughters in which she “references killing” them.

Elkins was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

In a statement to the Asbury Park Pres, Elkins’ attorney Mitchell J. Ansell said she has “a well-documented history of severe mental illness which has absolutely played a major role in these devastating events.”

During the police interview, Elkins told investigators she had the same thoughts on May 25 about killing her children for religious purporses.

“The sad truth is, Naomi Elkins has a well-documented history of severe mental illness which has absolutely played a major role in these devastating events,” adding that the Elkins family was “deeply saddened by the tragic events.”

“At this time, we kindly ask for the public’s prayers and support for all those that have been affected by this tragedy,” he continued. “We are committed to pursuing the most just and fair outcome through the legal system taking into account all of the circumstances involved.”

Elkins is in custody at the Ocean County Jail and is set to appear in court for a detention hearing on Monday.