NYPD, Bronx community remembers newborn twins killed, abandoned at apartment 3 years ago
NEW YORK - Marking a grim third anniversary, they sang, they lit candles, prayed and hoped for a breakthrough.
"These poor babies died. They shouldn’t have died like that, and we come to show our support each and every year," Marion Tiny Frampton, a community activist told FOX 5 NY.
Three years ago, the NYPD found two twin baby boys they believe were between 12 hours and a day old-- dumped just beyond the alley of an apartment building.
"One was placed over here and the other was placed underneath the air conditioner over there," remembered Detective Brianna Constantion, with NYPD’s Bronx homicide unit.
Detective Constantino took the case to heart long before it went cold. She remembers the babies being discovered unresponsive with their umbilical cords still intact.
The toddlers were nameless at the time of their discovery until members of the NYPD took the case personally enough to name them, themselves.
Zeke and Zane—biblical names meaning God's gift and God's strength, names they felt guided them through a tough grieving process
"We buried the children. We had a funeral service for them. We’ve adopted them as our family," Det. Constantino shared.
The case has proven incredibly difficult to crack. Evidence shows the babies had been badly beaten, one of the boys had trauma to the head, the other to the stomach.
While there’s no trace of the twins' family members, faith leaders addressed their still-unknown mother during Thursday night’s vigil.
Police believe no one from the apartment building is connected and whoever did it climbed a fence to dump the baby boys as they make a public plea to anyone who saw something.
"Something that might not seem obvious to you, or anyone might mean something. It might take us in the direction that we need to be," said an NYPD homicide detective.
The NYPD still has a 10-thousand-dollar reward for anyone who has information on the case regarding the twins. If you have that information, they’re asking you to come forward by contacting Crime Stoppers.