Parents of malnourished & abused twins arrested in Edmonton

Edmonton - Two weeks after calling emergency services to their home when one of their 27-month old twin daughters was found to be In "cardiac arrest," an Edmonton couple were arrested and now face multiple charges.

On Tuesday, Edmonton Police Services (EPS) arrested the parents of the twin girls and charged them with two counts each of the following: - aggravated assault, - criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and - failing to provide the necessities of life. The charges follow a May 25 call allegedly made by the girls' father, to EMS paramedics, who arrived at the family of five's residence to find one twin girl in cardiac arrest and the other twin suffering from "numerous injuries." Paramedics revived the twin in arrest, and then transported both girls to hospital. Hospital staff checked the twins out and discovered that the 27-month-old girls were seriously malnourished, one weighing just 13 pounds, the other 16 pounds. It has been reported that a normal weight for girls at that age is between the 23 to 34 pound range. The twin found by paramedics in cardiac arrest, has a life-threatening head injury and is currently on life support. The injuries the child received are considered to be so serious in fact, that EPS has handed the file over to Homicide investigators. A neighbor, identified as Mohammed Al-Ani, is quoted as saying: It's shocking and depressing as well. I mean, you don't treat your pets like this let alone your children.

They seemed normal ... It’s very twisted and sick. I can’t say how sick it is. As is the custom in these kinds of cases, names of those accused have not been released to protect the childrens' identities. There was a third child in the household, a young boy, who displayed no injuries; he was taken from the home and placed in foster care.