Family members have identified the young twin children who died after they were found unresponsive inside a car on Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade early Friday and say their mother was the person who was driving and who police say jumped off the highway.
The two children, a boy and a girl who were fraternal 3-year-old twins, were found after officers responded to a call for a medical emergency at I-95 northbound and the Florida's Turnpike extension around 2 a.m., Miami-Dade Police said.
As police arrived on the scene, they saw a woman, who was the driver of the vehicle with the two children left in the backseat, jump off the ramp onto the Tri-Rail tracks below, officials said.
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The children were transported to an area hospital where they were later pronounced dead. The woman was taken to Aventura Hospital.
Officials haven't released the identities of the children and the woman but family members identified the woman as 42-year-old Shirlene N. Alcime and the children as Milinddjy and Milender.
Family said Alcime, the twins' mother, was in critical condition. Police said they believe she jumped in a suicide attempt.
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The family said they were devastated and shocked about what happened.
The twins' father Milson Cadet — who lives with the family but isn't married to Alcime — said he last saw his kids and their mother on Wednesday.
He called and called all day Thursday, but she didn't answer. Then on Friday morning, he called police because he was worried — and then he soon learned the news.
"For me, I don't really know what happened," Cadet said through a translator. "...I don't know about what happened today, why my kids passed away."
Cadet and his older son both said the twins had no health conditions.
“He said he's not going to feel okay now,” a neighbor translated for Cadet.
Alcime owns some businesses in the area. NBC6 found she and her family have faced several eviction cases over the last two years. The case against her family home is settled, but one is still pending against a business location. It's unknown if that played any role in what happened.
Neighbors of Alcime also said they were shocked.
"She’s a very very good neighbor, good person," one woman said. "Very good, helped everybody."
Police said they're still investigating what led to the incident, and said the twins' cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
