Police have obtained an arrest warrant and charged LeRoya Moore, 36, of Strong Street in East Haven, with two counts of murder and three counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree in connection with the deaths of her children, Aleisha Moore, 6, and Daaron Moore, 8.
Police found the children's bodies when they responded to a 911 call reporting a medical emergency on Tuesday, June .
One of LeRoya's friends called police after receiving a letter sent from the mother, saying she planned on committing suicide, the caller told 911 dispatchers.
During a phone call with the friend, LeRoya said she'd cut herself and told the friend she couldn't come in the house because her children were lying down inside, according to the recorded calls. That's when the friend called 911.
Police were able to get LeRoya out of the house and noticed cuts on her wrists. Inside the home, police found an active gas leak before a disturbing scene.
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Both children, who were fully clothed and on top of a blanket on the floor, appeared to have been dead for "an extended period of time," according to police.
"Their bodies were bloated to the point the skin appeared to be split and an odor consistent with that of human decomposition filled the residence," police said in the affadavit.
Autopsies were performed on the children, but the exact cause of death is still pending toxicology results.
However, police found 46 bottles and boxes of medication, some of which were near the children, and believe the chidlren's death was the result of poisoning.
When police spoke with LeRoya Moore, she was despondent. When police asked where the children were located, she said, "I stabbed them, I released them" and nodded when asked if she hurt her children, according to the affidavit.
Police obtained a search and seizure warrant on June 2 to search the Moore home andfound a typed document on the ground near the children's feet.
"I don't know the reason why, but we were meant to die today," the letter signed by Moore said, "they should not be left to burden anyone because I am the only one who could love them like a mother. Not an institution or a social woker."
She added that she let them have fun right before the end, according to court documents.
"My older kids escaped the same fate because I was too depressed to move to make it happen," the letter went on to say.
The Department of Children and Families has been investigating Moore since 1997 and DCF had removed the three oldest of her five children from the home by DCF, according to the arrest warrant.
However, Aleisha and Daaron were left with their mother.
The children's father, Michael Moore, of Bridgeport, spoke with NBC Connecticut last Thursday and said his children were always smiling when they were with him.
"I always promised to do right by them and that 'Daddy wanted to make you smile one more time before you're home,' " Moore said, tearing up about the tragedy.
Outside of the children's Strong Street home, neighbors have been stopping by and dropping off teddy bears and balloons as the community mourns.
"You kind of heard what might of happened, but you never actually expect what the details were," Lisa Criscuolo, a neighbor, said.
"Just dropping off a teddy bear because they didn't they didn't deserve that," Dennis Marshall, a neighbor, said.
East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said he continues "to send my sincere sympathy and
condolences to the friends and family of the victims."
"I would also like to extend my deep appreciation to the East Haven Police Department,
particularly the Detective Bureau with the assistance of the States Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Medical Examiner and the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit, for their diligence and hard work," Maturo said.
Moore was placed on a $2 million bond and was arraigned on Wednesday afternoon. She has been placed on mental health watch and her next court date is June 23.
