Montgomery Mom Duct Taped 2 Kid's Entire Faces Before Suffocating Them: Affidavit

MONTGOMERY, NJ — A Montgomery Township mother duct-taped her children's faces, suffocated them and then drove her car into a ditch before she was found zip-tied to the steering wheel, according to police documents released Friday.

Yuhwei Chou, 36, of Skillman, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder after her 7-year-old daughter, Samantha Ross, and 10-month-old son, Paul Ross, were bound and restrained in their car seats in Hillsborough, said Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

An autopsy was released by the medical examiner's Office Friday, which said the cause of death for both children was asphyxia by airway obstruction and the manner of death was homicide. The final autopsy report is expected following toxicology results.

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Chou told police in a voluntary taped statement what led up to the killings, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Patch.

Here is the timeline, according to the latest information made available Friday:

Monday, Nov. 8:

• Chou said she first drove to Wawa for lunch and then to True Value where she purchased duct tape and zip ties.
• Next, she drove to Apex Park in Hillsborough and began to duct tape Samantha's face but was spooked by a bystander in the parking lot.
• She then drove to Mountainview Road in Hillsborough and parked in a "hunting area" with a dirt driveway on the side of the road.
• She then got into the backseat and zip-tied Samantha's hands and duct-taped her and Paul's entire face.
• At around 2 p.m., she used her hands to suffocate both kids until they were dead

Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7:41 a.m.:

• A 911 call reported a gray Toyota Corolla that left the roadway and was in a ditch on Mountain View Road in Hillsborough.
• A witness talked with Chou and saw that her hands were zip-tied to the steering wheel and could see the children in the back of the car in their car seats with their faces duct-taped and hands zip-tied.
• The witness told another witness to call 911.
• When police arrived, Chou said she zip-tied herself to the steering wheel and and duct-taped herself.
• She told police both of her children were dead.
• Chou said she has been planning the killing for about a week.

A motive has not been released, as the circumstances leading to the events which caused the deaths of the two children are under investigation by authorities.

Chou will be sent to the Somerset County Jail pending a bail detention hearing following a medical clearance from an area hospital.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, or the Hillsborough Township Police Department at 908-369-4323 or via the STOPit app.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers' Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

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