Image courtesy of the Citizens’ App
The NYPD announced Friday, July 25, that a 36-year-old woman was charged in connection with the deaths of twin baby boys found deceased in a courtyard area of a residential building in the Claremont section of The Bronx in November 2020.
On Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at around 2 p.m., amid the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, police said officers had responded to a 911 call for two aided people in the rear of 1460 College Avenue. “Upon arrival, officers discovered two unconscious and unresponsive male infants lying on the pavement at the location,” a police spokesperson said. “EMS responded and transported the infants to BronxCare Health System, where they were both pronounced deceased.”
As reported, NYPD Lt. Grimpel told the Norwood News on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 that detectives were at that point still trying to solve the double homicide and police had named the twins Ezekiel and Zain. The babies, who still had their umbilical cords attached, had died of blunt force trauma, according to the medical examiner’s office, police said.
Grimpel said that the superintendent of the apartment building located at College Avenue and East 172nd Street made the discovery. Police said at least one of the babies was found inside a black garbage bag, which also had tissues and a shower loofa.
The incident was deemed a double homicide, there were no immediate arrests, and the investigation had remained ongoing. Grimpel added NYPD Lt. William O’Toole, then-commanding officer of the Bronx Homicide unit, and his squad had spent nearly a year trying to locate the mother of the babies and O’Toole had urged anyone who might have had information on the incident to come forward.
Police said a reward of $10,000 payable by the City of New York was also being offered upon an arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.
Almost a year has gone by since two newborn babies were found in a Bronx alley. @NYPDDetectives continue to search for answers in this horrific case.
Today, NYPD members gathered to give these children a proper funeral service.https://t.co/bhpdDZHkW4
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 25, 2021
Grimpel said the agency had conducted an exhaustive investigation into the case, with officers and detectives canvassing the area, nearby hospitals and other locations. Surveillance video obtained from near the area where the babies were found reportedly proved unhelpful in the search for the person who placed the babies in the courtyard, according to police.
Bronx NYPD officers held a funeral service for the infants in September 2021, almost a year after they were found. The NYPD said that detectives working on the case decided to organize the funeral because no one had come forward to claim the babies as family.
On Friday, July 25, pursuant to an ongoing investigation, police said Stephanie Castillo, with a Jerome Avenue address in Morris Heights, had been arrested that day at 2 p.m. in the confines of the 44th Precinct, which covers the Bronx neighborhoods of Concourse, Bronx Terminal Market, and Yankee Stadium.
They said she was charged with six counts of murder and six counts of manslaughter. We were informed by a source that the woman is the babies’ mother. We asked police if they could provide any additional information regarding the circumstances leading up to the mother’s arrest and they said they could not at this time.
Source: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera
We also asked if all the counts and charges relate to the two baby boys or potentially to other victims and were informed they relate to the two baby victims. The deceased have since been identified as Baby Zeke, a newborn male, and Baby Zane, also a newborn male. Castillo is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
In February 2024, as reported, the Yonkers Police Department arrested and charged another mother in an abandoned newborn investigation. In April 2024, a mom of 5-year-old twins, found smothered inside an East 175th Street Building in the Mt. Hope section of The Bronx, was arrested and charged in connection with their deaths.
In 2007, a Bronx mom pleaded guilty in her son’s death by beating in a Kossuth Avenue home. A two-month-old baby was found safe in October 2023 after a mother left the location of a supervised visit with the child.
In May 2021, the New York City Council introduced legislation aimed at supporting mothers and caregivers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in honor of Mother’s Day. The following year, a maternal health package described as “historic” was passed to help address racial disparities in maternal health, mortality, and morbidity.
In September 2024, Montefiore Einstein received a $5.4M HRSA grant to enhance medical care and social support for Bronx moms and babies.
Source: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) recently released the attached statement on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement to discontinue enrollment for children covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Following the passage of the federal reconciliation bill depriving people of healthcare coverage, defunding healthcare institutions and programs, and making states responsible for a larger share of their healthcare spending, he joined Congressman Ro Khanna of California and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts as they announced the introduction of their State-Based Universal Health Care Act (SBUHCA), which they said would allow states that have passed legislation creating a state-based, universal healthcare program to go into effect without federal red tape.
The senator, who chairs the state health committee, has long advocated for the passage of the New York Health Act (universal healthcare in New York State), and said he believes that this is the right time for the nationwide piece of legislation, which he said will support the implementation of the New York Health Act (S3425). The latter would create a single-payer plan for New York residents and employees.
“I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in D.C. who have introduced a brilliant bill to enable states to establish universal healthcare systems with support from the federal government,” Rivera said. “I assure my fellow New Yorkers that we could establish a single payer system through the NY Health Act without a federal waiver, but the State-Based Universal Health Care Act would make that process far more seamless and ultimately, make healthcare more accessible and affordable and fix our broken healthcare system.”
Source: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Read our recent health check for mental health support here.
New York’s Safe Haven Law allows parents to safely surrender a newborn up to 30 days old at designated locations—no questions asked. These include hospitals, fire stations, and police precincts. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Safe Haven hotline at 1-877-796-HOPE or visit nysafebaby.org for resources.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
All calls are strictly confidential.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.