The mother of two young children found dead inside a Miramar home was taken into custody and charged with two counts of premeditated murder.
Sophia Hines, 40, was arrested late Wednesday night. Officials told NBC 6 Hines was visiting from Philadelphia, PA at the time of the incident.
Hines was expected to make her first court appearance Thursday but it was delayed until Friday. She remains in custody and it's unknown if she's hired an attorney.
Authorities responded to the 6100 block of Southwest 38th Street near 62nd Avenue around 5:20 p.m. following a 911 call for a medical emergency involving two children.
Miramar Police officers performed CPR on both children until fire rescue crews arrived, but 7-month-old St. Leo Hines and 3-year-old Ariel Hines were pronounced dead at the scene.
Hines' husband in Philadelphia said he had no idea why she'd do anything to harm the kids, "I just couldn't imagine her doing this. I can't, I just can't."
Family members said Hines was suffering from postpartum depression.
"She was taking her medicines and then someone had instructed her to stop taking it. We are still not clear on the details," said Hines' stepdaughter Antoniqua Singleton.
When police initially arrived at the scene, they found Hines and another person standing outside the home. They directed officers to the apartments in the back.
According to an arrest affidavit, Hines was visiting a relative and had arrived in Miramar a week ago with her two children.
Hines was at the home with the children Wednesday when she called her relative and told her "come home now," the affidavit said.
When the relative arrived, she found the children lying on a bed unresponsive. Fire rescue crews pronounced the children dead at the scene.
Hines later admitted to holding a bed sheet over the mouths of both children until they stopped breathing, the affidavit said.
The affidavit said Hines gave no explanation for her actions.
Two hours before, neighbor Palmer Assad said he spoke with Hines on the phone. Assad said Hines told him she was stressed out because she could only stay at the Miramar home until Friday and didn't have any money to get back to Philadelphia.
He said he showed up with money and to check on her, but it was too late.
"If I had known she was going to kill those children I would've taken them, I would take them," Assad said.
