A long-running mystery in the Bronx came to a close Friday with the arrest of a woman allegedly responsible for the shocking deaths of two newborn boys left behind a building in 2020.
According to the New York Post, Stephanie Castillo, 36, was charged with multiple murder counts nearly five years after her twin sons, just hours old, were discovered dead in an alley — a breakthrough investigators achieved through forensic genealogy and decades of detective determination.
In November 2020, the bodies of two male infants were found behind a College Avenue apartment building in the Claremont section of the Bronx. One was discovered partially wrapped in a pet training pad, with his umbilical cord around his neck and injuries indicating possible head trauma.
The other newborn was inside a black garbage bag about 20 feet away, showing no obvious wounds. Both babies were determined to be less than 24 hours old at the time of death. One of the individuals to find the bodies, 75-year-old Renford Cole, was deeply affected by the discovery.
"I saw the legs sticking out. The legs were straight. They weren’t twisted or anything like that,” Cole recalled. “Today is a very good day,” he said on Friday, expressing relief over the long-awaited arrest. “I’m so happy to know that they found the person because those were babies, innocent babies.”
Grief Turned to Determination in Years-Long Investigation
Detectives from the NYPD took an unusually personal interest in the case early on, initially naming the infants Zeke and Zane as they worked through a lack of leads. In September 2021, they organized a moving funeral and buried the boys in a shared casket adorned with flowers and a blue ribbon. “Our detectives had the funeral for these two children,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano. “Every year, they had a memorial for these two children. They have never stopped caring about this case.”
According to an anonymous NYPD detective, many investigators found themselves emotionally burdened by the condition in which the babies were discovered. “These were two newborn babies who were full term and then put in garbage bags and thrown in a rat-infested backyard,” the detective said.
DNA From a Discarded Drink Container Leads to a Breakthrough
For several years, the case sat unresolved while forensics teams quietly advanced. A turning point came when the NYPD’s forensic division used genetic genealogy — a tool that traces familial DNA matches through public records and databases — to find a relative of Castillo connected to the crime scene biology.
This development brought renewed focus to Castillo, who had resided in the College Avenue building where the bodies were found. Authorities say she never told her family she had been pregnant. The final piece of the puzzle came when investigators retrieved a discarded drink container believed to belong to Castillo. DNA from the item reportedly matched genetic material found at the 2020 crime scene, affirming investigators’ suspicions.
Suspect Arrested After Nearly Half a Decade
Castillo, now living in a nearby shelter, was arrested on July 25, 2025. Officers from the NYPD, supported by Homeland Security Investigations, apprehended her on charges that include first- and second-degree murder, intentional murder, and manslaughter.
She was handcuffed and taken out of the 44th Precinct, located close to the alley where the infants had been left. NYPD officials said the case had been handed off from the forensic division to homicide detectives once Castillo became the primary suspect. “Interviews and video canvases and the great work of our forensic investigation division brought us to where we are today,” Baldassano noted at Friday’s press conference.
Community Still Reconciling With the Tragedy
Renford Cole, the neighbor who found the boys in 2020, said he had initially mistaken one of the black bags in the yard for ordinary garbage. “I saw [a trash bag]… but I thought it was garbage,” he explained, detailing that residents often tossed refuse there. It wasn’t until he noticed the infant’s legs and touched them that he realized something was wrong. “I told [my friend] to call the police,” he said. The image stayed with him for nearly five years as he waited for answers that finally came this week. “I am going to sleep better tonight,” Cole told reporters. “This is a big burden lifted off my mind.”
Memorials and Community Support Helped Keep the Case Alive
Detectives involved emphasized the rare, haunting nature of the case and its impact on those who pursued justice for the infants. “Their little bodies had fractures. This has weighed heavily on every detective who has worked on the case,” said an investigator familiar with the effort. The consistent memorials — annually held by NYPD officers since 2021 — helped preserve the memory of the twins and spurred continued pressure to crack the case. For years, their deaths prompted sorrow and outrage across the community.
Now, with an arrest made and charges filed, the focus shifts to ensuring accountability in court. Prosecutors are expected to pursue the case vigorously as more details come to light about what happened between the time of the births and the tragic discovery behind the Bronx building.
