KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas City, Kan., mother has been charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder after attempting to drown her two children, prosecutors announced at an afternoon news conference.
“I have had a lot of murder cases over the years — very few have been children. It’s very tough to handle a child case,” Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome Gorman said.
Johnna Green, 23, held her two children, one-year-old T.J. and four-year-old J.G., under water until they were unresponsive, according to court documents.
The girls were found unconscious inside their KCK home on Tuesday. Both children remain in critical condition and under police protective custody at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
“As a mother who I witnessed to be so good to her daughters, you can only imagine that she was in a dark place,” neighbor Carrie Groves said. “[She] didn’t have the help she needed or couldn’t find the help she needed.”
A hearing is expected Friday over who might have custody of the children. The state of Kansas has filed to take custody of the children, but has also notified the father of the one-year-old.