According to the court documents obtained by CNN, when the autopsy was done the 7-year-old girl weighed 18 pounds and the 5-year-old boy weighed 21 pounds.
A 33-year-old woman has been arrested and is facing multiple criminal charges, including first-degree child abuse that resulted in the death of a child under the age of 13, after Baltimore Police say they pulled her car over and found two children dead in the trunk, People reported.
Nicole M. Johnson was pulled over just after 11 p.m. Wednesday during a traffic stop, during which cops say they found two dead bodies in the trunk, Baltimore County Police said in a statement.
"Tonight, the entire Baltimore County Police Department grieves with the community over the unspeakable deaths of two innocent children,” Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said. “The investigation into this atrocious crime will not stop until those responsible are brought to justice.”
It was later confirmed that the deceased were siblings and Johnson was their aunt. Cops identified the victims as 7-year-old Joshlyn Johnson and 5-year-old Larry O’Neil.
Cops say it remains unclear what caused their death.
Johnson was arrested two days later and cops say she is facing multiple charges including first-degree child abuse that resulted in the death of a child under the age of 13.
“This truly was a devastating incident – one that not only shocked our community to its core, but significantly affected our patrol officers, forensic technicians, and detectives," Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said. "I am grateful that the harrowing details of this case were thoroughly and quickly uncovered, resulting in an expeditious closure to this tragedy. I want to commend all of our Baltimore County Police Department members who worked tirelessly throughout this investigation to bring justice to these innocent, young victims.”
CBS Baltimore says that cops believe the children may have been dead since last year.
Cops say that Johnson removed a blanket in the trunk to expose the decomposing remains of one child, CBS Baltimore reported. Also, during a search, officers found a tied-up plastic bag that contained the decomposing body of the second child, CBS Baltimore added.
Cops say that Johnson told them that she had been taking care of the children since last year. Cops say that Johnson told them that she hit the young girl, who fell and hit her head, and put her remains in a suitcase and carried it around for months, CNN reported.
According to Authorities, Johnson also claimed her nephew had an injury about two months ago and never woke up, so she put his body in a plastic tote next to his sister, CNN reported.
Johnson remains held without bond and has a preliminary court date for August 27, according to court documents obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
When asked for comment by Inside Edition Digital, her attorney, Natalie Finegar, said, "We have just begun our work on this case and there is till a lot to uncover. I can tell you that what there are many layers of tragic events that my client has suffered through that has culminated in the tragic death of the children."
