Lakewood’s Jewish community has been shaken to its core after a woman allegedly killed two toddler sisters on Tuesday night.

According to NBC, a woman believed to be related to the young victims was taken into custody after the bodies of a three- and two-year-old were discovered in their home on Shenandoah Drive. While officials have not confirmed causes of death, sources suggest the children may have been both drowned and stabbed.

The names of the children and the suspect have not been revealed, nor is a motive known at this time.

Few crimes could pollute the civic covenant more thoroughly than children being murdered. It distorts the very continuity of family and flagrantly defies both natural and moral law. For Lakewood’s residents, the killings have shattered their feelings of security. They are left to search for answers and ways to process the traumatic loss of two innocent lives with so much future promise.

Still, it is important to note that statistically, such violent crimes are exceedingly rare occurrences in Orthodox Jewish communities, as Judaism’s basic foundations provide defenses against society’s ills.