“We have 72 hours to work with so we want to get it right,” says police spokesman Claude Weekes on the matter of the double murder of two infant girls, ages five years and two months, allegedly by their mother who is presently in the hands of the authorities.
She has still not been “formally charged”, Weekes said.
The incident, which occurred at about 2:45 am in Mahaut, was reported to police by neighbors. The young mother, who is in her early 20s, was arrested soon after. She allegedly stabbed the girls to death.
Since her detention, the authorities have sought the opinion of medical experts for diagnosis on possible post partum depression, also called postnatal depression, which is a form of clinical depression, which can affect women, and less frequently men, after childbirth.
This form of depression is known to cause murderous or suicidal reactions from new mothers, causing them to take their lives and that of their children.
Post partum depression occurs in women after they have carried a child, usually in the first few months, and may last up to several months or even a year. Symptoms include sadness, fatigue, and changes in sleeping and eating patterns, reduced libido, crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability.
Attempts to reach the family of the victims have been futile but Dominica News Online will continue to try to get further details on the matter.
