Monster NYC mom who killed twin newborns, dumped them like trash in 2020 finally nailed after DNA link: cops

A Bronx mother has been arrested for the murder of her twin newborns in 2020, after DNA evidence linked her to the crime. Stephanie Castillo, 36, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as manslaughter, in the deaths of her infant sons, who were named Zeke and Zane by NYPD officers.

The bodies of the twins were found in a rat-infested alley in Claremont in November 2020, with one infant partially covered in a pet training pad and the other bound in a plastic bag. Both babies, who were less than 24 hours old, had suffered injuries, including head trauma.

Castillo, who had previously lived in the building near where the babies were found, had kept her pregnancy a secret from her family. Forensic evidence, including DNA from the suspect and the infants, led to a breakthrough in the case. The suspect’s blood matched with a relative in a genealogical DNA database, and Castillo’s DNA was extracted from a drink container she had thrown away.

The NYPD’s forensic division and Bronx homicide detectives worked together to build a case against Castillo, who was arrested at a shelter near the crime scene. The arrest brought closure to the NYPD officers who had never stopped investigating the twins’ deaths, even organizing a funeral for the babies in 2021.

The tragic case had weighed heavily on the detectives involved, as the newborn babies had been discarded like trash in a backyard. Renford Cole, who found the infants’ bodies, expressed relief that the perpetrator had been caught. The arrest marks the end of a painful chapter for the community and law enforcement, bringing justice to the innocent babies who lost their lives at the hands of their own mother.