Neighbors of a Michigan woman are stunned after she and her twin daughters drowned in the Kalamazoo River. She drove her car into the water intentionally on Monday, police said.
Officers were called to a Walgreens, where they contacted two young girls under age 10. The children, described as family members, were visibly upset and said that their relative was going to drive the car into the river. According to the girls, they were told to get out of a vehicle.
“The two young girls we made contact with were in the vehicle at some point [and] had gotten out of the vehicle,” said Chief Karianne Thomas of the City of Kalamazoo Public Safety told the outlet. “They’re the ones that reported this incident to us and as you can imagine that’s a lot of trauma for young girls.”
The woman behind the wheel was identified by family members as Ineza McClinton, 44. The victims were identified as McClinton’s 9-year-old twin daughters, Angel and Faith. The Office of the Children’s Ombudsman told WOOD-TV that they were looking into interactions the family had with Child Protective Services.
Cops said McClinton drove her car into the river at Verburg Park, according to FOX 17 Online. Officers said they found the mother and one of her girls in the vehicle. They located the other child the following morning.
“Just tragic,” Chief Thomas added. “It’s so tragic and so traumatic for the family.”
Neighbors said they didn’t know the McClinton that well, but they knew the girls, and remembered them fondly. They said they saw no signs that McClinton would hurt her kids.
“Very fun loving kids,” Calvin Harris told FOX 17. “They come over here every morning. They play with my daughter. They–It’s kind of hard because over the years I’ve grown to love them like my kids.”
[Screengrab via MLive]
