Horrific final moments of twin toddlers 'killed by mom's terrible mistake' are revealed by distraught grandma

A distraught grandma has told of really 1 of her copy toddler grandsons turned bluish arsenic some died aft allegedly being exposed to their mother's fentanyl haul.  

LaTina Allen sobbed arsenic she recalled performing CPR connected her three-year-old grandsons, Josiah and Jestine -- besides known arsenic Jojo and Juju -- connected July 11.

Allen said she and her daughter, Jestice James, were astatine their Canoga Park, Calif. flat that day erstwhile she heard James screaming for help.

The older twin, Josiah, was not moving contempt James' effort to aftermath nan toddler up.

'She didn't moreover cognize what was going on,' Allen said. 'I heard her sound change. She kept connected saying, "Jojo! Jojo!" When I ran into nan room she said thing was wrong.'

Allen said she grabbed nan small boy, but Josiah had already turned blue. 

'I turned astir and told my relative to telephone 911,' nan grandma said. 'I was panicking and wasn't doing CPR right, truthful my different daughter, Jestina, called 911.'

In their panic, Allen said they didn't recognize nan younger twin, Jestice, besides was not breathing. 

'We were truthful worried astir Jojo that we didn't announcement Juju besides needed help,' Allen recalled. 

Allen said their neighbors besides tried to do CPR connected nan twins. Paramedics who arrived astir 5 minutes later utilized a Narcan spray connected nan boys, which is utilized to reverse an opioid overdose. 

Jestice responded to nan Narcan and moved a small bit, but Josiah's mini assemblage was lifeless, nan grandma told DailyMail.com.

'They took each successful abstracted ambulances and my girl was screaming to beryllium pinch her kids,' Allen said. 'We thought we would beryllium capable to spell successful nan ambulance pinch them, but they said, "No ma'am, it's excessively critical. We can't fto you spell pinch them." 

'We conscionable sat downstairs successful shock. Three hours later, they took my girl into custody.'

The boys were rushed to a adjacent hospital, but it was excessively late. Josiah died later that afternoon, while Jestine died 2 days later.

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged James, 22, pinch 2 counts of execution and 2 counts of kid abuse/endangerment nether circumstances aliases conditions apt to origin awesome bodily harm aliases death.

Prosecutors allege nan twins were exposed to narcotics laced pinch fentanyl, but would not spell into further item arsenic to really nan children came successful interaction pinch nan deadly opioid.

James' fellow besides was astatine nan flat nan time successful question, family members said. 

Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said nan lawsuit is nan first successful LA County wherever a genitor accused of  'pediatric vulnerability to illicit fentanyl' is facing execution charges. 

'The LAPD Abused Child Unit has done an outstanding occupation investigating this case,' Hatami told DailyMail.com connected Wednesday. 'Their investigation is ongoing, including looking astatine immoderate imaginable further defendants.' 

Hatami added he is already moving connected 4 different imaginable cases wherever a kid aliases children has died successful LA County wrong nan past six months because of fentanyl exposure. 

Allen said her girl Jestice has had 'a batch of struggles' arsenic a young mom but loved her copy sons. 

James' older sister, Jestina, said her sister almost died a twelvemonth and a half agone aft she unknowingly smoked marijuana that was laced pinch fentanyl.

Another friend who smoked nan deadly batch, however, overdosed. 

'She was very sad astir her friend because he died and they each smoked from nan aforesaid thing,' Jestina, 26, said. 'It was laced and they didn't know. None of them knew.'

'That's what we don't understand. She knew really vulnerable this was. She would ne'er put her kids successful harm.' 

Court records show James had a anterior apprehension for felony expansive theft and was charged connected October 2022. She was placed connected probation for 2 years aft she plead blameworthy to nan charge, according to tribunal records obtained by DailyMail.com.

James besides had a warrant retired for her apprehension connected a misdemeanor organized unit assistance theft charged revenge successful December 2023. 

Her family said she was initially detained connected July 11 for nan misdemeanor expansive theft warrant erstwhile she was past investigated and charged pinch nan execution of her copy sons.

Allen said she hasn't been capable to talk to her girl since she was arrested past week. 

The grandma said she and her daughters had been bum for astir 8 years until they secured a spot astatine nan city-run affordable transitional lodging analyzable successful Canoga Park wherever nan twins besides stayed.

Allen said her girl struggled to raise her boys but they ever made things work. 

'I said to her, "You cognize me. Whatever I have, they got,"' Allen said of her grandsons. 'She put applications successful for a occupation but she had gotten successful trouble, truthful it was difficult for her. She was stealing from stores pinch her friends and sewage caught. I told her she needed to get distant from group who will get you successful trouble. She conscionable sewage into a bad crowd.'

The grieving grandma said she and now has to header pinch nan tragic nonaccomplishment of her beloved grandsons but besides nan anticipation that her girl will walk nan remainder of her life successful prison.

'I want group to cognize she was not a bad mom,' Allen said. 'She a caring and loving mom towards her kids. She would ne'er fto immoderate harm travel to them.'

James, who appeared astatine a Van Nuys courthouse connected Tuesday, remains successful jailhouse successful lieu of $4 cardinal bail. She is scheduled to look backmost successful tribunal July 31. 

At nan little hearing, James fought backmost tears arsenic Allen mouthed, 'I emotion you' to her from crossed nan courtroom.