A Michigan mother and her children have been identified after she intentionally drove her car into a river, killing herself and two children, according to police.
CBS 3 reports that the mother has been officially identified as 44-year-old Ineza McClinton. Family members identified the twin daughters, 9, as Angel and Faith.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, two other children were initially in the car with McClinton and the twins, but managed to get out before the woman drove the vehicle into the Kalamazoo River, close to Verburg Park, on Monday night.
According to Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas, the children who escaped the car, both under 10, met their uncle at a nearby Walgreens after a passerby saw them, clearly distressed, and gave them a ride.
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Officers spotted the children, who were still extremely distraught, and made contact with them. They told the officers that McClinton drove herself and her twin girls into the river.
“These are very young girls,” Thomas said. “They did not know a time frame. They did not know where it occurred. They had been picked up by passersby who saw they were upset and brought them to a public safety station, and then we had to piece it together from there. It’s a very traumatic event for these young girls. We need to give them space to deal with that.”
On Tuesday morning, authorities initially found the bodies McClinton and one of the twins. Shortly after, they found the body of the other twin. The vehicle was completely submerged in the water, police said.
Authorities are working to determine why McClinton decided to drive herself and her children into the river. Thomas added that the woman intentionally drove into the water.
“That part of the Kalamazoo River, and that park, it’s not along a road. It’s not [where someone would] veer off the road and go into the river there. It wasn’t an accident. What we’re all dealing with now is ‘why?’ And we just don’t have those answers. I don’t know if we ever will.”
NBC 8 reports that The Office of Children’s Ombudsman confirmed that there was an open investigation with Children’s Protective Services, involving McClinton and her family. What the investigation entailed remains unclear at this time.
Anyone with information is urged to contact call the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at 269-488-8911.
The story continues to develop. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Ineza McClinton, Angel, Faith/Family Handout]