It has been two years since the two one-day-old twins were found dead in the back of a Bronx apartment building – but NYPD officials say they are refusing to let the case run cold.
NYPD Lt. William O’Toole, the commanding officer of the Bronx Homicide squad and Det. Brianna Constantino have been there since the beginning. The pair have sought the killer, they named the deceased twins Zeke and Zain, they held a funeral for the infants, and two years later they continue to mourn them.
On Nov. 9 O’Toole and Constantino showed amNewYork Metro where they made the grim discovery. One baby was found at the end of the alleyway leading behind 1460 College Avenue while the other was found a few feet away directly behind the building. Both had been beaten with one dying from blunt force trauma to the skull and the other suffering from broken ribs. The twins were merely hours old.
“Usually when dealing with homicides we have a family to answer to, but these babies had no family, so we have become their family. We made sure they were buried in a proper place, and we will make sure every year we come out here to celebrate them and we get an answer one day,” Det. Constantino told amNewYork Metro.
Both Lt. O’Toole and Det. Constantino revealed that they discovered DNA from the scene that leads back to a female, although it did not match any person in their system. They are pleading with the public who may know something to call the NYPD tip line so they can both bring justice to the babies and discover what horror drove a mother to leave her children in the trash.
“What circumstances brought us to that?” Lt. O’Toole asked. “But what we want is someone who saw something or heard something–suspected something. Maybe in two years and you just felt like that was nothing, let us find out if it’s nothing. Pick up the phone call one 800-577-tips and let us bring justice to the babies. We got them resting in peace but let’s bring justice. Let’s find out why they ended up back here. Why their skull was fractured, and their bodies were beaten and dumped in the backyard? So, please reach out to us.”
Lt. O’Toole and Det. Constantino joined fellow members of the department and locals to hold a candlelight vigil for Zeke and Zain, something they pledge to hold each and every year. Attendees profusely wept amid the flicking candlelight before white balloons were released into the night sky in memory of the newborns.
The NYPD is also offering a $10,000 dollar reward for information leading to an arrest. Calls can be made to 1-800-577-TIPS.
