Cause of death of twins in SUV determined, but not released due to new public records law
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has determined what caused the death of 3-year-old twins found in the back of their mother’s SUV on a highway overpass earlier this year. But the findings remained under wraps Friday because Florida Gov. DeSantis signed a bill into law that prevents access to reports of minors killed through domestic violence.
Milendhere Gabriel Napoleon Cadet and his sister Milendhet Gabriella Napoleon Cadet were found together and lifeless in the back seat of their mother’s Toyota Highlander on an overpass at the Golden Glades interchange on Feb. 2. Their mother, Shirline Alcime, had left them and jumped from the bridge.
Alcime, 43, survived and was charged with two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm.
READ MORE: Toddler twins die after found in car on I-95. Mother tried to kill herself, cops say
“A cause of death has been determined,” Veronica Melton-Lamar, medical records coordinator at the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, said Friday. “Homicide is under active investigation.”
At a brief court hearing Friday morning without Alcime present, Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Natalie Snyder told the court that her office learned Thursday that toxicology tests from the children were negative. Without mentioning the cause of death, Snyder said the state needed more time to study possible new or additional charges against Alcime. The next hearing is set for Aug. 23.
New law keeps records in the dark
How the the children were killed is being kept from the public because of a bill signed into law by DeSantis just over a year ago. The Rex and Brody Act — which prevents access to autopsy photos and reports of minors killed through domestic violence — floated around Tallahassee for a couple of sessions before it was signed into law. Without permission of a surviving parent, those records can now remain sealed. They were previously accessible under Florida’s public records law.
The bill’s passage was prompted after the death of Paul Reinhart and his sons, Rex, 14 and Brody, 11, in May 2021. The children were well known in Alachua County youth baseball circles, with Brody often working as a bat boy for the Florida Gators.
The trio were found dead inside their Dixie County vacation home by police who found the home on fire and discovered a number of disturbing texts and social media posts.
The boys’ mother told a Tallahassee legislative committee how the media ignored pleas from her not to publish how her husband and children were killed. The legislation drew rebukes from some First Amendment and open government advocates who were concerned it could hinder reporting on child welfare failures. They also questioned why the legislation didn’t cover other violent acts, like school shootings.
Did financial stress lead to twins’ deaths?
Alcime’s arrest report claims that three days after she jumped and her children were found dead, she told police she planned a murder-suicide because of financial issues. Miami-Dade and state records show a pair of eviction cases involving the family and that Alcime is the registered agent of 10 businesses.
She told investigators she considered tossing the twins from the overpass before jumping herself. The report says that when a tow truck driver stopped to speak with Alcime before she jumped, she told the driver her children were in the backseat and lifeless.
The driver called 911 and started performing CPR on one of the children. He told police that he ordered Alcime to unbuckle her daughter and start administering CPR. But when police arrived, Alcime instead walked over to the barrier wall and jumped.
The twins were declared dead at Jackson North Medical Center. Police found no visible wounds on the children, though it appeared they had foamed at the mouth. And Alcime told police she didn’t know what killed the twins.
