Florida Woman Suspected of Killing Her 2 Kids: 'I Don't Want Them Anymore'

Miami police arrested a woman who allegedly killed her young children Tuesday night and called 911, as police arrived and found the children unresponsive, tied up on a bed.

Odette Joassaint, 41, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder early Wednesday morning and booked at a Miami-Dade jail. She allegedly told police that the "kids were suffering and that they would suffer less if they were dead," the Miami Herald reported. Joassaint also told detectives to "come get them, I don't want them anymore," according to a police report.

Joassaint's 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son were pronounced dead at the scene after first responders tried to resuscitate them. The arrest report, obtained by the Herald, said that Joassaint told police that she had tied her children's arms, legs, and necks, and strangled them with a red ribbon.

"She was having a mental crisis and was irate," Miami Police Spokesman Michael Vega told the Herald. Police also said that during questioning, Joassaint told them she had been having financial issues.

The children's father reportedly arrived at the scene holding pictures of the children early Wednesday morning, according to local news station WSVN.

"Officers located to find out what was going on when they found a female that appeared to be irate or going through a crisis," Vega told WSVN. "Officers looked inside the apartment, where the calls were coming from, and observed two minor children that appeared to be unresponsive. Fire rescue was called to the scene and they declared that both children were deceased."

The children's father, Frantzy Belval, told the Herald that Joassaint had custody of the children, and they usually visited him at least once a week on Saturdays. According to Belval, Joassaint was "unstable" and had not worked in a year. She allegedly had asked to move back in with him repeatedly, but he refused.

In 2017, Joassaint was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge over allegedly biting Belval and was identified as the "primary aggressor" in a police report, but prosecutors later dropped the charge, the Herald reported.

Belval allegedly hit Joassaint and left her with bruises and a cut on her lip in 2019. He was arrested for aggravated battery, but Joassaint refused to give an official statement and prosecutors did not press charges, according to the Herald.

Joassaint eventually got a restraining order against Belval over alleged threats he made while holding a gun, but later had it withdrawn after the pair said they wanted to reconcile for their children. Police were also called to Joassaint's home last month over an argument between the two, but no arrests were made.

Update 4/13/22, 1:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.

Update 4/13/22, 10:42 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.