N.C. mother arrested after dad reportedly finds their 4-year-old twins dead during custody exchange

MURPHY, N.C. (TCD) -- A woman is in custody after her estranged husband went to her house over the weekend to pick up their sons and discovered the 4-year-old twins deceased.

According to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, on Saturday, March 2, at approximately 10 a.m., the children's father went to Genevieve Springer's home on Gooseberry Road for a custody exchange of their children, who he last saw on Feb. 26. The man contacted law enforcement after finding them dead.

The sheriff's office said investigators are working to determine when the children died, and they are "hopeful that autopsies will narrow down the date and time of the twins' passing." Their cause of death was not publicly released.

Sheriff's office investigators identified Springer as the primary suspect. She was hospitalized in Georgia and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

After being released from the hospital on March 2, officials arrested Springer in Union County, Georgia. She waived extradition and was booked into the Cherokee County Detention Center the next day, where she remains held without bond.

Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said, "Our children are our most precious resource and our hope for the future. We all must stand united for their protection and for justice."

MORE:

• For Immediate Release - Cherokee County Sheriff's Office