The Nassau County Police Department's Communication Bureau responded to a 911 call on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 8:55 a.m. Upon arrival, 3rd Precinct police officers were met by a female, Leatrice Brewer, who directed them to a second-floor apartment. Inside, police found three children deceased in a bedroom. A short time after, Brewer, 27, was arrested in connection with the death of her three children: Jewell Ward, 6; Michael Demesyeux, 5; and Innocent Demesyeux, 18 months.

At a press conference Feb. 25, Detective Lt. Mike Flemming said the children appeared to have been dead for several hours when police arrived. As of press time, police were awaiting autopsy results to declare the official causes of death, said Flemmin, who added that preliminary investigations suggested the children may have been drowned or poisoned.

According to police, Child Protective Services visited Brewer's home at least six times over the last five years, including Feb. 22, less than 48 hours before the children were killed. In addition, Nassau police responded to at least a dozen 911 calls at Brewer's Prospect Avenue home in the last year. Additionally, family members, including one of the children's two fathers and Brewer's 67-year-old grandmother, had, to no avail, tried to obtain custody of the children through family court.

Following the incident, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi ordered an investigation into how the agency and the police department handled previous neglect allegations against Brewer. Suozzi has appointed deputy county executives Mary Curtis, who oversees health and human services, and Frank Ryan, who oversees public safety, in charge of the investigation. According to the county executive, the investigation will include a review of actions by the police department and the Department of Social Services, which includes Child Protective Services and the Juvenile Aid Bureau.

"This is a horrific crime. Obviously something went seriously wrong and we need to determine whether part of that wrong was with the system itself," said Suozzi. "I've ordered an immediate review of anything related to this case in the department of social services and the police department, specifically the Juvenile Aid Bureau to determine what happened. Included will be a thorough review of all contact this family had with any county agencies. If there's something wrong with the system, we need to know."

Police report that since 2001, Brewer had been in trouble with the law several times and had been convicted of harassment, unlawful possession of marijuana and driving-related misdemeanors and infractions.

Following the killings, Brewer climbed out a second-story window and fell to the ground below, cracking a vertebrate, and as a result, had been transported to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, said Flemming. She was scheduled to be arraigned bedside on Tuesday, Feb. 26.