The deaths of two 5-year-old twins discovered vomiting and frothing at the mouth in their Bronx apartment were both deemed homicides, according to the city Medical Examiner’s shocking revelation.
An autopsy revealed that the siblings, who were originally thought to have died in a “medical emergency,” were smothered to death in December 2023, the examiner told The Post late Wednesday.
On December 18, emergency personnel discovered George and Gianna Katanka on the living room floor of their apartment on East 175th Street near Weeks Avenue in Mount Hope, according to officials and sources.
A day later, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny informed reporters that all indicators indicated a terrible tragedy.
“All reports were that Mom was well engaged in everything to do with these two children,” Kenny stated during a press briefing.
“She was an active participant in their medical care, an active participant in their schooling,” he went on to say. “Neighbors say she was adoring, and they were a peaceful, loving family. At this point, until the ME [medical examiner] declares otherwise, it appears to be a medical disaster.”
The twins, whom Kenny described as “special needs” children, were ill and had stayed home from school on the day they were discovered dead.
The youngster had been sick with cold symptoms for up to two weeks and had been sent home from school the previous week. His sister had an ear infection and had been vomiting and “acting irrational,” the mother informed police, with the behavior described as “biting and spitting at school,” Kenny said.
According to law enforcement officials, the twins’ mother was so distraught by their murders that she was hospitalized for monitoring.
According to the reports, the children’s father, who was at work at the time, rushed home upon learning what had transpired.
“I’m not good,” the devastated father told The Post the day after the deaths. “I lost my two children. “Not good.”
The news surprised neighbors, who described the mourning mother as a devoted parent who rarely let the children out of her sight.
“She never let them wander alone. “She always held their hands,” recalled Lansana Damsoko, a long-time apartment building occupant.
“She waited in the foyer for the school bus to come, and she held onto their hands and took them upstairs,” she said. “They were happy children. “Happy kids.”
The NYPD reported that no arrests had been made in relation to the twins’ deaths as of Thursday.
