Shirlene N. Alcime, Milendhet and Milendhere Napoleon-Cadet, and the scene where she allegedly jumped off of the interstate overpass (WPLG screenshots)
A 42-year-old mother in Florida accused of leaving her 3-year-old fraternal twins to die in the back seat of a car atop an interstate overpass before trying to kill herself by leaping to her death has been arrested over the tragic ordeal, which authorities said she had been planning for months.
Shirlene N. Alcime was formally charged this week with two counts of child neglect resulting in great bodily harm in the deaths of Milendhet and Milendhere Napoleon-Cadet, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, officers with the Miami-Dade Police Department responded to a call at about 2 a.m. on Friday from a passerby who told the emergency dispatcher that they had found two children unresponsive.
“Upon the officers’ arrival, the female that was accompanying the children jumped over the expressway wall, fell from a considerable height, and landed on the railroad tracks,” police said in the release. “Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded and transported the toddlers to an area hospital and the female to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital in critical condition. Despite their efforts to save them, medical personnel pronounced both children deceased.”
Authorities said that a pending autopsy would determine the manner and cause of death for the two children. However, after Alcime was formally charged, she appeared in court for a bond hearing where a judge said that the evidence collected thus far indicated that Alcime was likely to be charged with murdering her children.
“I am holding you with no bond on count one, for the child abuse, count two for child abuse, although I think there may be a probable cause for murder as well, but that’s up to the state to file that charge,” Florida Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer said during Friday’s hearing, per courtroom footage posted online by Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ. “That arrest affidavit, it looks like you killed your children, and you then tried to kill yourself, so that’s why there may be probable cause for different charges, but it’s up to the state’s attorney.”
The evidence Glazer was referring to is likely the statements Alcime allegedly made to investigators, per a probable cause affidavit obtained by WTVJ in which the twins’ mother reportedly admitted that she had been planning to kill her children and herself for about two months. She allegedly claimed that she made such plans “due to her current financial status and multiple debt(s) that she owes.”
She reportedly told police that on Feb. 1, she spent the day scouting bridge locations from which she could jump and kill herself.
“She drove to different locations looking for a bridge to jump from,” police wrote. “The defendant admitted to contemplating jumping off the bridge with both victims or throwing them off one by one and then jumping to end their lives.”
Alcime’s twins were found foaming at the mouth and unresponsive inside her car by a tow-truck driver who stopped after seeing her parked atop the overpass. The driver called 911 and attempted to perform CPR on the children, who were transported to a nearby hospital via ambulance, where they were pronounced dead.
The tow truck driver and Alcime reportedly told similar stories about their brief interaction after the driver stopped and offered assistance.
” (Alcime) admitted to walking away while both victims were foaming at the mouth once she heard the police sirens,” the affidavit states. “The defendant then jumped over the overpass bridge, landing on the ground beneath to end her life.”
Alcime repeatedly denied giving her children anything that brought on their deaths and claims she has no idea how they died, police said. She is due to appear in court again on Feb. 20.
