Hillsborough, N.J. mother killed her 2 children, prosecutors say
A New Jersey mother killed her two young children, prosecutors said.
Priyatharsini Natarajan, 35, of Hillsborough, N.J. faces two first-degree murder charges in the death of her two boys, 5 and 7.
Police said they responded to a 911 call from Natarajan's home Tuesday at 6:45 p.m., apparently from her husband. He told officers he had just come home from work and found his two children unconscious, and told the dispatcher his wife "did something to them," prosecutors said.
Responding officers found the two children dead in a bedroom inside their Shell Court home, prosecutors said.
The medical examiner will determine the cause of death, although prosecutors said "Natarajan caused the deaths of her two children."
Natarajan also faces a possession of a weapon charge. She's being held at the Somerset County Jail.
Hillsborough County Superintendent Mike Volpe said the two boys were students at Sunnymead Elementary School. He called the incident an "unfathomable loss."
"There are no words to adequately capture the weight of this tragedy, and our hearts are with the families and the entire Sunnymead community as they grieve," he said.
Volpe spent time at the school on Wednesday morning, where he said educators are providing a sense of safety and support. Crisis response teams and additional counseling services are on site for as long as needed.
"While the sadness is profound, I was deeply moved by the character of our staff. Tragedy often reveals the true heart of an organization, and today, I saw a leadership team and faculty focused entirely on the well-being of our children," he said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call prosecutors at (908) 231-7100.