Foster mom’s fiance charged in deaths of twin girls found in car

The fiance of a coastal Georgia woman charged in the deaths of her 3-year-old foster children has been arrested, authorities said.

Hinesville police have charged Sam Edwards with two counts each of second-degree murder and second-degree child cruelty, investigators said. He has been in the Liberty County jail without bond since his Dec. 19 arrest, records show.

Authorities said that Edwards lived at the home where twin girls Raelynn and Payton Keyes were found dead. Their bodies were discovered in a car parked outside the house Sept. 29 after they were reported missing, AJC.com previously reported.

Credit: GoFundMe

Credit: GoFundMe

Police were called to the home shortly after 1:30 p.m, authorities said. The 3-year-old sisters were found unresponsive inside a Kia parked in the backyard. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The girls’ bodies were taken to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsies, and investigators determined their deaths were caused by heatstroke, officials said.

Claudette Foster, the girls’ caretaker, was arrested two weeks later in connection with their deaths.

MORE: Foster parent arrested in deaths of 3-year-old twin sisters found inside car

According to her arrest warrants, Foster is accused of taking a nap and leaving the twins unattended for about three hours. At some point, they crawled into the car parked in the backyard and died, authorities said.

The girls and their brothers were removed from the home of their biological parents and had been in the foster care system since May 2018, the Liberty County-based newspaper Coastal Courier reported.

ALSO: Foster mom granted bond while facing murder charges in 3-year-old twin sisters' deaths

According to the paper, the Division of Family and Children Services allegedly told Foster not to leave the children with Edwards and not to spend the night at his house.

It’s unclear what evidence led police to charge Edwards.

Foster, a native of Jamaica, was released on bond earlier this month after agreeing to surrender her passport while she awaits trial.

Her bond conditions prohibit her from leaving the state, living with children or drinking alcohol to the point of intoxication. She must also follow a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, according to Savannah-based news station WSAV-TV.

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Shaddi Abusaid