The 24-year-old mother who allegedly killed her twin girls had a long history mental illness, her mother told police on Thursday night.
In a written statement, Vanessa McQueen, 48, told Suffolk County police that her daughter Tenia Campbell had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager and that "she has been battling depression and anxiety her whole life."
At a press conference on Friday morning, however, police said they were not aware of any history of mental illness.
Ms. McQueen, who lives in Mastic Beach, said that her daughter began acting "very irrational and extremely upset" in the 10 days leading up to the death of the twins, according to her statement.
She would see her daughter, whom she said was a single parent, the twins Jasmine and Jaida, and her 4-year-old grandson, every day, even though they lived in Medford. They would sleep at her house at least twice a week, she said, adding that she frequently helped with child care.
"This week has been a very tough week for Tenia, she has been acting very irrational and angry. I tried to convince her to take a break from the kids and let me have them so she could recharge herself, but she always says she can handle it," Ms. McQueen wrote.
Around 2 p.m. on Thursday, she Tenia called her from her cellphone. "Immediately, I could tell something was wrong," Ms. McQueen wrote. "Tenia was hysterical crying, she kept saying she was sorry but she didn't want to live anymore."
Her mother tried to calm her down, but she was yelling and crying about killing herself and her babies. She kept her on the phone and called 911 from her house phone. She managed to give the 911 operator information about her daughter, while also trying to calm her daughter.
"I asked about her twin baby girls and she said they are already dead. 'I killed them with my bare hands.' "
Police said there were no outward signs of trauma and that they are awaiting the result of the autopsies for the cause of death.
What police described as a massive search ensued, while Ms. Campbell continued to speak to her daughter. She told her mother several times that she was driving to a beach, according to the statement, but police said she never gave her exact whereabouts. Multiple agencies were on the lookout, while police obtained permission to track her phone through GPS.
She also hung up several times, but either called back or answered when her mother called back, the statement said.
Police officers went to Ms. McQueen's house and she put the call on speaker so they could hear what her daughter was saying. "I continued to talk to Tenia and I kept asking her to stop the car and let someone help her. All Tenia would say was that it's too late. I killed my babies and now I have to be with them."
She said she was going to find the ocean and walk into it and drown so she could go to heaven to be with her daughters, according to the statement.
Ms. McQueen's other daughter, who arrived at her mother's house, also tried to speaking with Tenia.
"After a couple of hours of phone conversations with Tenia, she finally became quiet and acting scared," her mother wrote. Tenia asked if her mother was coming to get her, and she said she would. Ms. Campbell said she was lost "somewhere in Montauk." She tried to get her to send her location through the phone, but Ms. Campbell said it was not working.
An officer told Ms. McQueen that her daughter had been found, and that her grandchildren were in their car seats in the vehicle. They were taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
"I tried so hard to help my daughter Tenia. I love her so much but she has a mental disorder and there was just no talking to her today," Ms. McQueen wrote.