Medford mom charged in murder of twin 2-year-old girls

Tenia Campbell, 24, was sobbing as she was led into court to face a judge on murder charges.

News 12 Staff

Jun 28, 2019, 9:54 AM

Updated 2,009 days ago

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A Medford mom accused of killing her twin 2-year-old daughters was ordered held without bail Friday after her arraignment in East Hampton Town Court.
According to investigators, Tenia Campbell, 24, was threatening to kill both herself and her twins, Jasmine and Jaida, Thursday afternoon.
A three-way phone call then ensued that lasted 12 minutes between police, Tenia, and Tenia's mother. During that time, police say the suspect refused to tell them where she was and claimed the girls were already dead.
An Amber Alert was issued, and police say they used cellphone GPS to find Campbell near a nature center in Montauk.
The girls were found in their car seats around 4 p.m. Police say officers at the scene tried to perform life-saving first aid on the girls. They were also rushed to a hospital, but could not be saved.
According to Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, Campbell parked her car in the entrance to the park, walked to Montauk Highway and “started screaming at responding officers to shoot her.”
“During this chaotic time, officers took her safely into custody and located the girls in their vehicle. Both were in cardiac arrest,” says Hart.
Police have not yet said how exactly the girls died. According to court documents, Campbell told her mother that she killed her daughters with her bare hands.
The court documents also say Campbell has a history of mental illness and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager.
VIDEO: Officials give update on arrest of Suffolk mom accused of killing twins