Nanny Suspected of Killing 2 Kids in UWS Home
Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 06:28 PM
Photos on the family's Livejournal.com page show the kids on family vacations, sharing birthdays and picking pumpkins.
(Livejournal.com)
A nanny suspected of killing two children stabbed herself in front of their mother in the family's West Side apartment, police said. The children were found dead nearby.
The nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, who was found near a knife, was hospitalized in critical condition and was in police custody. The children were pronounced dead at a hospital.
“We believe now that the nanny began to stab herself as the woman entered the room,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. “She did it as the mother entered the bathroom.”
The horror started for the children's mother, Marina Krim, when she and a third child returned to their apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side Thursday evening. Puzzled by the darkened home, she returned to the lobby to ask the doorman if the nanny had gone out with 2-year-old Leo, just learning to walk, and 6-year-old Lucia, known as LuLu, lover of "all things princess."
She was told they hadn't left, so she returned upstairs. A search led to the bathroom, where the children's bodies were in the bathtub and the nanny lay wounded nearby. It's unclear how many times the children were stabbed.
"There was some kind of screaming about, `You slit her throat!"' said music therapist Rima Starr, who lives on the same floor as the family, and said she heard screams coming from their apartment at around 5:30 p.m.
The nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, who was found near a knife, was hospitalized in critical condition and was in police custody. The children were pronounced dead at a hospital.
(Photo: A police officer stands outside 57 West 75th St. where two children were stabbed in the family's apartment. Alec Hamilton/WNYC)
The children's father, CNBC digital media executive Kevin Krim, who had been away on a business trip, was met by police at the airport on his return and was given an escort to the hospital where his loved ones had gathered.
A Family's Self PortraitA blog kept by the mother of the The mother, Marina Krim, posted Also shown was a February trip to Since news spread of the tragedy, -Tracie Hunte |
NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the nanny is in custody, and is a "person of interest" but has not been charged.
Kelly said it was unknown if the nanny came from an agency.
In a neighborhood where nannies pushing strollers and looking after young kids is a common sight, Stephanie Herman said she’d “never heard of seen anything like this in 30 years.”
"It was just sirens, sirens, sirens," said Herman. She was leaving her home to meet a friend and as she walked down the block, EMS responders walked out with two stretchers screaming, "get out of the way!"
Herman, 58, heard the news from others on the street but had hoped it was just a rumor because, "when you hear it from people on the street you keep thinking 'Okay, it's gossip, it's rumor, it can't be that bad, that cannot have happened.'"
With the Associated Press
Comments [18]
It can be possible that Nanny did this for such reason. It is necessary to check the Nanny background before hire it in order to restrict such mis happening.
http://www.penelopespeople.com/
You don't have to be a parent to be horrified by this story. The fact is that these children were viciously killed - the motive almost doesn't matter. And I think that the discussion should focus more on how to keep our children safe, whether it be through a neighborhood watch or strict screening of caretakers - and LESS about the possible innocence of this woman. As far as I'm concerned, she's guilty until proven innocent.
Hello. I am a nanny of color that works for a white family. Nannying is my chosen career even though I have a degree from a Sarah Lawrence College. I love my job, and used to work on the UWS. I miss the kids I used to work for so much, and have cried many times because I miss the baby who was 3 months when I started. I do not get paid $5/hour... I get $20 plus over time, paid vacation/sick days, a monthly metro card, and lots of love and sticky kisses at work! I can't imagine ever hurting child under my care, even though working with kids can be tough. This story has is so horrifying and I hope it is resolved soon.
Just wanted to say I personally know of a case where a family finally had to let a nanny go because she was being stalked and threatened by a male family member whose threats escalated to harming the children she cared for. They could not convince her to report him to police. Let's not jump to assumptions this woman is guilty until more facts are known.
okay,she cut herself in front of the mother, how's this as a scenario: she[the nanny], has some demented man who is seeking her affection,and perhaps killed the children, and attacked the nanny. and then, the nanny cuts herself in front of the mother,because of the shame, guilt, and horror. i'm just really troubled, by the quick assumption by the cops, that the nanny must have done it.
I was shocked to hear this news. I am also shocked that a nanny who has been caring for these children for 1 year would just suddenly stab them to death. That seems extremely drastic and unbelievable. It just doesn't add up. And who turned out all the lights in the apartment? Did the nanny shut off all the lights and then decide to stab the children and then herself? Something is just not adding up.
Let's have a wait-and-see outlook on this horrible situation (a trial), and MRNYC from nyc shouldn't make this into a racial situation. Sure, I see brown and black women taking care of rich white people's kids, when I'm around the Upper West Side, but if you don't like that, be supportive of the infrastructure that can educate these women so they don't have to take nanny jobs.
As for WNYC's reporting, at least they haven't jumped the gun like the other news outlets.
Matt Brown from Montclair: you have a right to be concerned, but it's kind of naive to protect your children from the harshness of human experience.
This is also going to be fodder for a SVU episode.
Why mention words like luxury,and upscale? Like murder or crime dont happen to these people. Why hire someone for $5 an hour to watch your kids? Because you rich people think that "those people" are trained to listen and obey and should be happy to work for you. Notice not many white woman babysitters in these areas? did anyone ever ask themselves why? I bet there will be now though.
what if someone else did it and staged the scene ? i don't know what happened,but why are the cops so certain so quickly that the nanny did it? if it were someone of means and power that were suspected,i assure you,the cops would not have jumped to this conclusion so early. it's sickening.
I agree with Daniel to a point. I am personally against these kind of sensationalist headline items, where the press slobber over every little detail, and show close up shots of distraught parents (see: NY Post). That said, as a parent myself the action I can take now is think much more carefully about hiring a nanny.
i dont understand how anyone could kill a child i mean come on how does a person do that i cant figure out how anyone could do it too an adult but an innocent child defensive child someone that cant defend there self it takes a sick person too do something so horroriffic
I am amazed at how many nannys I see walking around with small children, some only a few months old. Some of these nannys look like they're holding a bag of trash when they walk with these children.
Why bother having children if you can't be there for them? You have no idea of the quality of care they are receiving. Aside from this terrible incident, there are many other cases of emotional neglect and abuse that many children are receiving because their parents have more important things on their agenda than raising their children
I have small children and we listen to WNYC together. When there is sensationalist, horrific news like this, I understand the drive to cover it, but PLEASE bury the lead just long enough for me to hit "mute" so they don't have to go to school terrified.
Perhaps some kind of warning "ping" or something? When a horror story starts "Two children were murdered..." I can't mute fast enough--give me a chance to edit beyond just turning off your station when there's bad news like this.
Just noting: If the story were sexual in nature, there would be warnings. Please remember, some parents are more concerned about the reporting of violence (especially against children!!!) than they are about sexuality.
You can do better.
Sounds a little suspicious. I'm glad the police aren't jumping to any conclusions. Reminds me of the women who kill their own kids and then tell the police a story about some archetypal phantasm like black carjackers or whatever. Disgruntled Mexican nannies gone psycho is probably a fear deep in the subconscious of Upper West Side yuppies. It will be interesting to see what the nanny says when she recovers.
How come the name of the nanny has "not been released," yet two paragraphs earlier the article quotes her name? On a front page article, you'd think this would be identified and edited promptly.
So good to know that Rima Starr is a music therapist and that someone with the surname of Herman has celebrated her 58th birthday. I agree with Daniel - this story is not helpful in any way.
I ask why WNYC feels the need to become the next sensationalist outlet. We have WOR and Fox for these 'news' items.
My question to you, WNYC, is: "How, as a leading and respected news organization, are you 'informing' me with this splashy front-page item?"
What action can I take,now? How am I a more informed citizen?
Please leave the adrenaline stories to Fox News at 5, and all the other "Breaking News" addicts. I came to WNYC to relieve myself of that nonsense.
The only thing your doing with this, is upsetting thousands of people in the morning. There is no 'news' here.
Horrible story, but it needs EDITING. How can WNYC publish something so obviously flawed?
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