2 children found dead in trash bags under South Carolina apartment sink; mother taken to hospital
BRUCE SMITH Associated Press Writer
(AP) - HANAHAN, South Carolina-A woman accused of leaving her two young children in a hot car while she was at work was charged with homicide by child abuse after their bodies were found wrapped in trash bags under an apartment sink, authorities said.
Officers investigating a report of a disturbance at the apartment Monday night found Sametta Heyward, 27, crying and yelling, "'Oh, my babies,'" according to a police report.
A man holding Heyward told officers "the kids were in trash bags and under the cabinet." The police report said Heyward tried to bite and kick the officers, had to be restrained, and was taken to a hospital because medics thought she could be having seizures.
"She stated she wanted to die and asked officers to kill her," the report said.
Investigators found a note Heyward left at her apartment, explaining that she had arranged for a baby sitter, but when plans fell through she took the children with her in the car to work in downtown Charleston, coroner George Oliver said. It was not clear what day she was referring to.
The results of the autopsies on 1-year-old Triniti Campbell and her 4-year-old brother, Shawn Campbell Jr., were not immediately released.
Officials have not determined where or when the children died, and more tests will be needed to determine exactly what killed them, Oliver said.
Oliver said officials have not determined where or when the children died.
Her attorney, Andrew Savage, said he met with Heyward shortly before she was released from the hospital on Tuesday and taken to the police station in handcuffs and scrubs.
Heyward cried throughout a two-minute initial court appearance Tuesday night, only quietly acknowledging a judge telling her he could not set her bond.
Neighbor Brandon Coving said he saw Heyward and the children on Sunday. "They were running around, and she had a big smile on her face, and it seemed like a regular day," he said.
Hanahan is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Charleston.
