A four-year-old boy in Harlem was allegedly starved to death by his parents. The parents are blaming children’s services for his death.
On Monday (Oct 21), the family joined with local civil rights advocates to slam the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) for their son’s death.
According to ABC7, Jahmeik Modlin died of chronic starvation, malnutrition and dehydration. He was just 19 pounds at the time of his death.
The boy’s parents, Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, and Laron Modlin, 25, were arrested and charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Their three other children — ages five, six, and seven — were also found severely malnourished and remain hospitalized, according to authorities.
Laron, father of Jahmeik, said his son was fed and his mother told investigators he must have lost weight because he had been sick.
“The family was not aware of the circumstances within the household”
Nytavia, Jahmeik’s mother, told investigators she was feeding her children and that she never limited their food intake. She believes Jahmeik may have lost weight because had been sick and vomiting for months, and couldn’t keep food down.
She also told investigators that none of her children have ever been enrolled in school and that she does not take them to see a doctor unless it’s an emergency.
“Yesterday, I spoke to Nytavia at length at Rikers. She called ACS, spoke to the social workers, spoke to the Department of Education about she was having domestic violence issues and mental health issues,” the Rev. Kevin McCall said.
“We’re calling on Attorney General James to do a thorough investigation because we don’t have faith in the fatality review,” McCall said.
“We wish to extend our sincerest apologies for the delay in our response, the gravity of this unforeseen situation has left us unprepared and we are still coming to terms with its impact, we also wish to clarify that the family was not aware of the circumstances within the household, and in light of this, we respectfully request the time and privacy necessary to process the events as they continue to unfold,” said the victim’s aunt, Diana Kerlegrand.