‘She tried to kill the babies’: 911 calls detail Durham mother’s murder, attempted murder charges

Police released 911 calls on Thursday of neighbors describing the moments of two unresponsive children at a Durham home, leading to a murder charge and attempted murder charge against their mother.

2026-02-27

Andrea Faust is charged with murder and attempted murder after authorities found her two children unresponsive on Feb. 12 at a home on Chartwell Court. One of them died at the hospital, and the other is still there as of last week.

Someone told a 911 dispatcher on Feb. 12, “The emergency is across the street from me. Somebody came out of the house yelling for help, saying she tried to kill the babies.”

The caller continued speaking to dispatchers while a man could be heard yelling in the background.

“I was sitting in my kitchen, I heard somebody yelling for help, so I went to my front door and looked out and at the house across the street and somebody came out, with a child that was slumped over their shoulder saying, ‘Help! Help! Call the police. She tried to kill the babies,’” the caller told the dispatcher.

The caller also said the man brought one of the children onto the front lawn.

“There is a child on the ground,” the caller said. “They are trying to revive him.

“They are also saying someone else is inside and they think they are dead. I really think you need to expedite things. This is ridiculous. The child just looks limp.”

Another call told a 911 dispatcher, "He says one of the children is dead."

Authorities arrested Faust the morning of Feb. 13.

Faust was due to appear in court on Feb. 16. However, Durham County Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow said Faust was hospitalized because of a suicide attempt at the Durham County Jail.

Andrea Faust's husband, Eric Faust, begged his wife not to harm herself for the sake of her family while speaking in court. Andrea Faust was in court on Tuesday and though she didn't say much, she was able to answer the judge's questions.

Darrow requested that Andrea Faust be placed under suicide watch and that she be supervised in light of the charges she faces. A motion was filed to transfer Faust to the safekeeping unit at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh.

A public defender will represent Andrea Faust. Her next court date is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 4.

Get help

If you're having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.