A Delaware mother, originally from Liberia, told police she drowned her two young boys in a bathtub because she was afraid of being deported. 

Kula Pelima, 30, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with deaths of 5-year-old Alex Epelle, and 3-month-old Solomon Epelle. Pelima is the birth mother to Solomon and the stepmother to Alex, whose father was incarcerated in York, Pa., after getting arrested by I.C.E. agents on October 6, 2017, reported WDEL.

According to the Wilmington Police Department, Pelima called authorities hours before the killing to alert them of her concern of deportation. Pelima told police her visa had lapsed and she was worried; however, officers came to her home and let her know she would be fine.

According to court paperwork, Pelima then called police and told them she'd just drowned her children. When police arrived for a welfare check, she told them the children could be found upstairs in the bathtub.

Pelima told police she placed Solomon in the tub and she began to fill it with water. Then she went and retrieved her stepson, Alex. She admitted to physically assaulting Alex before putting him in the tub and holding him underwater until he stopped moving.  

Pelima is currently being held at the Delores J. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution in lieu of $2 million cash bond.