The ABC News producer died of a heart attack on Dec. 23 in New York.
ABC News producer Dax Tejera and his wife, Veronica, are being accused of leaving their kids alone in the hours leading up to Dax's fatal heart attack last month.
In a statement shared with ET, the 33-year-old mother-of-two, who is facing criminal charges, said she made a "poor decision" by leaving their 2-year-old and 5-month-old daughters alone on the evening of Dec. 23.
"My family and I are devastated by Dax’s sudden passing. He has left behind a heartbroken family, and two daughters he loved with all his heart," Veronica began.
"When Dax collapsed on December 23rd, I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital. I asked both a close friend and my parents to rush to my children’s hotel room to attend to them as I monitored them by camera. The hotel would not allow my friend in and instead called the NYPD," the statement continued. "We had two cameras trained on my children as they slept, and I monitored them closely in the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize that it was a poor decision."
Veronica added, "Our family has suffered a terrible tragedy. I respectfully ask for privacy while my children and I mourn Dax’s death."
According to multiple reports, Veronica was arrested and booked on two counts of "acting in a manner injurious to a child," just hours after Dax's death. The couple allegedly left the girls unattended at the Yale Club while they went out to dinner with friends at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse before he suffered a heart attack.
While Veronica maintained that she was monitoring her children closely, NYPD said that their preliminary investigation of the incident revealed that the girls were left inside the hotel room "for an extended period of time." The police did not name the minor children in their report.
Veronica is due in Manhattan Criminal Court on Jan. 12.
Meanwhile, ABC's Kim Godwin released a statement about Dax's death, which reads, "It’s with a heavy heart and great sadness that we share that our friend and colleague, Dax Tejera passed away suddenly of a heart attack last night. As executive producer of This Week With George Stephanopoulos Dax’s energy, passion and love for that show, ABC News, and you, shined every Sunday morning. That same love was extended to his precious girls. Our thoughts are with his wife, Veronica, the couple’s two young daughters, and the entire Tejera family."
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