Mom Fatally Poisons Two Children In Murder-Suicide Attempt

KEY POINTS

The incident took place in South Africa on Thursday
The children were pronounced dead at the scene
The motive behind the crime was not known

A woman in South Africa ended up fatally poisoning only her two children, aged nine and three months, in a murder-suicide attempt.

On Thursday morning, the unidentified woman went up to her neighbor’s house and started frantically knocking on her door. The neighbor opened the door and saw the woman carrying her infant. She placed the infant on the floor, went home, and came back with her other child. She then told the neighbor she had fed them poison and drank it too, OFM reported.

"After bringing the kids, she allegedly collapsed on the floor," police officer Thandi Mbamo said.

The neighbor immediately alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and pronounced the two children dead. Their mother, who was lying on the floor, was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.

"Police were called and on arrival at the scene, two bodies that were identified as Rethabile Dladla, 9, and Naledi, three months, were found," the officer said, local website IOL reported.

"The 31-year-old lady who was identified as the mother to the deceased kids was found lying on the floor. The two children were certified dead at the scene, whilst the mother was referred to a hospital in a critical condition," he added.

The motive behind the crime was not known, and information about the woman's husband was not revealed as of Thursday evening.

The police said two cases of murder have been registered as the woman recovered in the hospital.

Last year, a woman in the western Indian state of Gujarat fatally poisoned her 3-year-old son and herself as she was fed up with their illnesses. While the woman had high blood pressure, the child has a serious respiratory condition. The incident came to light when her husband returned home from work and found the two lying motionless on the floor. Investigation revealed the woman strangled the boy after poisoning him. She then consumed poison after ensuring the child was dead. Traces of poisonous substance were found in their bodies and strangulation marks were also found on the child’s neck and face.