How DNA from a trash cup exposed mum who killed her newborn twins

A five-year-old murder mystery that shocked New York has finally been solved, all thanks to a single discarded drink cup.

Stephanie Castillo, 36, was arrested on Friday, July 25, for allegedly killing her newborn twin boys in 2020 and dumping their bodies in a rat-infested Bronx alley.

The twins, named Zeke and Zane by NYPD officers were discovered in Claremont in November 2020. One baby was found with head trauma and an umbilical cord around his neck, while the other was stuffed into a black plastic bag 20 feet away. Both were less than a day old.

Detectives refused to let the case go cold. “Our detectives had the funeral for these two children. Every year they had a memorial for these two children. They have never stopped caring about this case,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano.

The breakthrough came when forensic teams used genetic genealogy databases to identify Castillo’s relatives. Police then obtained her DNA from a drink container she threw away  and it matched.

Castillo, who reportedly hid her pregnancy while living with her parents, now faces multiple murder and manslaughter charges.

For Renford Cole, 75, the man who discovered the babies, the arrest brought relief: “Oh man. This is really a big burden lifted off my mind. Those were innocent babies. I can sleep better tonight.”

Meanwhile, the NYPD organised a funeral for the twins in 2021, laying them to rest in a single white casket.