New report reveals Lakewood, NJ ‘murder’ mom’s disturbing confession

🔵 Naomi Elkins told police she had been having "concerning thoughts" recently, according to the incident report in the case

🔵 She prayed about it and went to her job at a daycare center, the report said

🔵 She felt she needed to kill her daughters, report shows

LAKEWOOD TOWNSHIP — The mother accused of killing her two kids told police “she needed to kill the children for religious purposes,” according to the incident report in the case obtained by New Jersey 101.5.

The incident report discloses the events that led to Naomi Elkins, 27, being charged with two counts of murder after police found two girls ages 1 and 3 drowned in separate tubs.

Elkins and her husband lived in a basement apartment of a home on Shenandoah Drive. Her husband, Edward Wiseman, had been away on business in Virginia since May 24. She worked at Giggl daycare in Lakewood where her daughters participated in the program.

According to the report, Elkins told detectives she was having “concerning thoughts" after coming home from work on Monday, and that she spent the night praying.

The report goes on to say that after work on Tuesday, Elkins told officials she "believed that she needed to kill the children for religious purposes."

Elkins said she stabbed one of her daughters but only "slightly punctured" her, the report said. A knife with a red handle was found in the kitchen sink.

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"Hurt her children"

The report said Elkins put one daughter on the couch while she ran a bath. Elkins took off the girl's clothes, placed her into the bathtub and held her down for around two to three minutes, according to the report.

This was witnessed by her other daughter who ran screaming into a second bathroom, the report said. Elkins followed her, removed her clothes as well, filled the tub with water and put her in, according to the report.

The mother went back and forth between the tubs holding each girl under the water while counting to 50, according to the report. The report said she realized she had “done something wrong” and called the Lakewood Hatzolah, a Jewish ambulance service. She told them she had “hurt her children,” the report said.

During questioning Elkins was allowed to write a letter to her children by detectives. The report said that the letter included that she killed her children but other details were not disclosed.

"A well-documented history of severe mental illness"

It was mental illness and not religion that likely affected Elkins' actions, according to her family and attorney.

According to a letter from an unnamed relative posted by The Lakewood Scoop, Elkins had a history of psychosis but had been doing better in the past year. Elkins was "doing great" during recent holiday celebrations, the unnamed family member wrote.

But all was not as it seemed, according to her attorney.

"The sad truth is, Naomi Elkins has a well-documented history of severe mental illness which has absolutely played a major role in these devastating events. While we acknowledge the seriousness of the charges that she is facing and respect same, we also believe that it's important to recognize the incredible complexities presented by mental health challenges," attorney Mitchell Ansell said it in a statement.

Elkins is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing on Monday.

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