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Source: Fairfield Mom Stabbed Kids With Sword

FAIRFIELD (CBS) - A Fairfield mother is facing murder charges after allegedly stabbing two twin toddlers to death in an apartment and then setting a fire to the residence.

The Fairfield Police Department said firefighters responded to a fire alarm at 10:46 p.m. Tuesday night on the 3000 block of North Texas Street, finding two three-year-old girls who had apparently died from traumatic wounds.

The toddlers' mother, 28-year-old Christine McCarrick, was found wounded from several lacerations that were apparently self-inflicted, authorities said.

A source within the investigation told CBS that McCarrick allegedly stabbed the girls with a sword, cutting their throats.

The source also said McCarrick cut her own throat with the sword but survived. Firefighters had difficulty entering the apartment when the call was first made because the victims were placed against the front door, blocking the entrance.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said neighbors tried to kick the door down but were unable to save the children.

The step-grandfather of the two dead girls didn't want to comment on the arrest, but said he will always remember the toddlers and was "praying for their souls."

"Both beautiful, very smart, very loving," Ralph Wuerker said.

McCarrick has been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of child abuse resulting in death, arson and destruction of evidence.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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