Virginia mother charged with murder of 17-month-old twin sons drowned in bathtub

Amaya Dixon of Richmond was charged in May with two counts of felony murder and two counts of child neglect. The charges stem from an April 17 incident in which Richmond police officers responded to a report of two injured children at an apartment.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the boys suffering from “apparent drowning injuries,” according to a report from WRIC.

The children were transported to a hospital, where both later died. One of the boys died that night, while the other died several days later.

Dixon was already facing criminal charges in Chesterfield County before the twins’ deaths. She had eight unrelated charges dating back to December 2025, including grand larceny, credit card fraud, possession of stolen property with intent to sell, and other offenses.

The case is one of several recent incidents involving mothers accused of killing their own children. In Ohio, a mother was charged with murdering her two young daughters, who were found buried in suitcases. In Kentucky, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader pleaded guilty this week to first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of her newborn child.

Most notably, the case of Lindsay Clancy has attracted national attention. Clancy admitted to killing her three children in Massachusetts but has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. She argued that she was experiencing psychosis when the killings occurred. As a result, some women on social media have rallied in support of her, arguing that her alleged mental state should excuse her actions, while others have claimed without evidence that her husband was actually responsible for the children’s deaths.

A GoFundMe campaign established for Clancy’s parents has raised more than $1 million from supporters.