Naomi Elkins charged with murder in Lakewood killings

This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.

A New Jersey mother of two was charged with murder after authorities said she drowned her two young children following an episode of “worrying thoughts.”

Naomi Elkins, 27, was charged with two counts of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the deaths of her 1-year-old and 3-year-old girls. Ocean County prosecutors made the announcement Wednesday. Her family said in a statement that Elkins had a history of serious mental illness. She has not yet entered a plea.

Lakewood Township police arrived at Elkins’ home Tuesday around 4:50 p.m. after emergency responders reported two children were in cardiac arrest and attempted first aid, according to the release from county prosecutors. The children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives investigating the incident found that both children had drowned and the 1-year-old had also been stabbed, the release said. Elkins was taken into custody without incident.

Elkins told detectives that her husband had gone on a business trip the night before and that she had gone to work at a local daycare, according to a police affidavit. That same day, she began having “worrisome thoughts,” as the affidavit put it, and “spent the night praying.”

Elkins said she went back to work the next day, but when she got home, “she believed she had to kill the children for religious purposes,” according to the affidavit.

She then allegedly admitted to stabbing the 1-year-old, but “indicated she only had a minor puncture [the child] with the knife.” However, authorities said the child had a “deep laceration in the middle of her stomach.”

According to the affidavit, Elkins said she then took the 1-year-old to the bathroom and held her underwater in the bathtub for two to three minutes.

Elkins said her 3-year-old son ran into another bathroom and screamed because she was scared, the affidavit said. She then ran the water in the bathtub and held the child’s head under water for several minutes.

“She said she counted to 50 several times to make sure she could keep them underwater for enough time,” police wrote in the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Elkins called Hatzolah Medical Services, a volunteer emergency medical service that operates in Jewish communities. The Lakewood area is home to a large Orthodox Jewish population. Hatzolah responders called local authorities when they could not resuscitate the children.

The Elkins family said they are “deeply saddened by the tragic events that have occurred involving Naomi Elkins and her two young children,” according to a statement shared by her legal representative to JS.

“The sad truth is that Naomi Elkins has a well-documented history of serious mental illness, which absolutely played a major role in these devastating events,” the family’s statement said. “While we recognize and respect the seriousness of the allegations she faces, we also believe it is important to recognize the incredible complexity of mental health issues.”

The Lakewood Scoop, a local website, published an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be a relative of Elkins. The writer asked all media reporting on this incident: “Please, please emphasize that the mother of the girls who committed this unthinkable act had a history of mental illness, especially psychosis, although she has been doing much better over the past year .”

“Apparently she tragically experienced a psychotic episode without any warning signs,” the letter said. “In fact, we spent shavuos together and she seemed like she was doing great.”

The killings left members of the area’s Orthodox community shocked, residents told media. Herschel Herskowitz, a local activist, told the Asbury Park Press that the family is well known in the area.

“When things like this happen, people go into their shells and don’t talk about it,” Herskowitz said.