On November 9, 2020, a grim discovery shocked the Claremont section of the Bronx: two newborn twin boys, later named Zeke and Zane by NYPD detectives, were found lifeless in a rat-infested alley behind an apartment building at 1460 College Avenue, near East 171st Street. The infants, mere hours old and born alive, were discovered by the building’s superintendent. One was partially wrapped in a pet training pad, bearing visible head trauma and an umbilical cord tied around his neck; the other, found about 20 feet away, was concealed in a black plastic bag with no apparent injuries. Both were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, and in April 2021, the city’s chief medical examiner ruled their deaths homicides caused by blunt force trauma to the head and torso.
For nearly five years, the case remained unsolved, haunting the community and the NYPD. Detectives, deeply affected by the tragedy, raised funds to hold a funeral for the twins in September 2021, laying them to rest in a single white casket adorned with flowers and a blue ribbon. They named the boys Zeke and Zane to honor their memory, holding annual vigils and offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Despite exhaustive efforts—canvassing hospitals, interviewing residents of the 42-apartment building, and reviewing surveillance footage—no suspect was identified until a breakthrough in 2025.
On Friday, July 25, 2025, the NYPD arrested 36-year-old Stephanie Castillo, identified as the twins’ mother, at a homeless shelter on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Castillo, who lived with her parents on the fourth floor of the College Avenue building at the time of the deaths, had reportedly concealed her pregnancy from those around her. After moving away—possibly to Staten Island or even the Dominican Republic—she was tracked down through advanced DNA technology. Investigators used investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), a cutting-edge technique, to link Castillo to the crime. A crucial piece of evidence came from a discarded drink container she threw away, which provided a DNA sample that matched forensic evidence from the infants and a relative’s DNA in a genealogical database. This confirmed her as the mother and suspect.
Castillo faces six counts of murder—including first- and second-degree murder—and six counts of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Zeke and Zane. Detectives believe she disposed of the infants by dropping them out of a fourth-floor window, a theory supported by the location where the bodies were found in the building’s courtyard. During her perp walk from the 44th Precinct, Castillo kept her head down, avoiding reporters’ questions. She was taken to Lincoln Hospital for unspecified reasons before her arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, and it remains unclear whether she has legal representation.
The case, described as deeply personal by NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano, underscores the persistence of the department’s detectives and forensic team. “This is exactly why we come to work every day. The NYPD, we don’t give up. Our detectives are the best in the world,” Baldassano said. The arrest brings a measure of closure to a community still scarred by the tragedy, with residents like Violet Nunez and Jordan Garcia expressing relief, though the memory of the twins’ deaths continues to linger.