Police: Philadelphia Mom Confesses To Suffocating Young Children While On Vacation
By Kim Glovas
MIRAMAR, Fla. (CBS) — A woman from the Frankford section of Philadelphia is behind bars in a Fort Lauderdale suburb on murder charges.
The victims: her two small children.
Tania Rues, spokeswoman for the Miramar Police, says officers were called to a home where 40-year-old Sophie Hines had been on vacation at her cousin's house with her infant son and toddler daughter.
The children were unresponsive.
"Officers arrived, performed CPR on an infant, approximately 7-8 months old, and a toddler, about 3-years-old."
Medics arrived a short time later and pronounced both children dead at the scene. Hines was at the scene with her cousin when police arrived.
"We suspected foul play and the mother was arrested and charged with murder."
Police say Hines confessed to suffocating her children with a bed sheet.
"We are still awaiting the results from the ME's office for the exact cause of death, however, the mother stated to our detective that she put a bed sheet over the mouth and nose of both victims until they were no longer breathing."
She's being held in the Broward County Jail.
On Thursday, Anthony Singleton learned that his wife of 4-months, Hines, had been charged by Florida prosecutors. Singleton is the father of the younger child who Hines is accused of suffocating.
"This is the last thing I would expect for her to do. I still don't believe it," Singleton said. Family says they are puzzled and distraught over what happened. "We just don't understand why," said Antonique Singleton, Hines' daughter-in-law.
"We don't see any real problems where as though this could have happened."
Anthony Singleton admitted that he was unaware of Hines' travel arrangements over the last few weeks. "She told me she was in New York," he said.
Joe Holden contributed to this report