Kids Strangled Because They Were Autistic: Woman's 911 Call

The woman believed to have strangled her two young children to death said she killed her children because they were autistic and she wanted normal children.

In the 911 call released Wednesday, the woman can be heard explaining to the 911 dispatcher how she killed both of her children Monday afternoon. At one point during the recording, the woman hangs up and the dispatcher calls her back.

"I used wire on their neck," the woman can be heard saying. "They are not doing anything. They are just blue, and they are like, they are not taking any breaths. Their heart is not beating."

The woman told the dispatcher that she called her husband, who was at work, before she called the police and that he was on his way home.

"They are both not normal, not normal. They are autistic. Both are autistic. I don't want my kids to be like that. I don't want, I want normal kids," said the woman. "First, I tried to give them bathroom cleaner. I put in their mouth, but they don't drink it. I want them to drink, but they don't drink it."

When asked by the 911 dispatcher what she was feeling, the woman replied, "nothing."

The operator kept the woman talking on the phone for more than 10 minutes while officers drove to the location.

At one point, water can be heard running in the background and the dispatcher asks what the woman is doing. She told the operator she was trying to wash the smell of cleaner off of her hands. The dispatcher then told the woman to go sit on a couch in the living room and wait for police.

At the end of the recording, police can be heard arriving at the home.

When they arrived, they found Zain Akhter, 5, and Faryaal Akhter, 2, in serious distress. Zain was pronounced dead at the hospital that evening while his sister, Faryall, was listed in very critical condition. Faryall's condition grew more grim the next morning, and she succumbed to her injuries at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The medical examiner's office ruled the boy's death a homicide by strangulation and planned an autopsy later Wednesday on the girl.

The mother of the children, 30-year-old Saiqa Akhter, was taken into custody after officers arrived. She was arraigned Wednesday morning in connection with Zain's death and will be held without bail. She is expected to be arraigned at a later date in connection with Faryaal's death.

She has requested a court-appointed attorney but one has yet to be assigned, an Irving jail official said. If convicted of capital murder, Akhter could face the death penalty, though prosecutors have not said if they will seek that punishment. Otherwise, she could face life in prison without parole.

Zain was buried Wednesday in Richardson. Funeral services for Faryaal are scheduled for Thursday.

Saiqa Akhter told the 911 dispatcher the children's father, Rashid Akhter, was at work at the time. She said on the call that she had called him and told him what she had done.

Saiqa Akhter's uncle, Wasimul Haque, told The Dallas Morning News that his niece had been depressed since moving into a new apartment in Irving. Haque said Zain had autism and a severe speech impediment but had been improving and was in speech therapy.


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Copyright AP - Associated Press
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