A mother whose 4-year-old son was found dead in his Harlem apartment on Sunday has been charged with his death and is expected in court on Tuesday.
Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, faces charges of criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child, WABC reported.
Officers were called to the Harlem apartment shortly before 7:45 p.m. on Sunday and found an unconscious and unresponse Jahmeik Modlin. The boy appeared to be malnourished, as CrimeOnline reported.
Police initially thought the child had burn marks on his body, but those marks were actually eczema.
Neighbors told WABC they never knew Ragsdale had a son and had never seen him.
“One of the biggest things this morning that broke my heart was that nobody knew that this woman had a child,” said community advocate Iesha Sekou. “A child was attached to this woman. When you have a 4-year-old child, that child is usually outside playing, being mischievous, everybody knows the kid. Nobody knew a 4-year-old kid and even knew that she has a child?”
Ragsdale’s three other children have been placed with family members.
The city’s Administration for Children’s Services said it had previously investigated Ragsdale for malnourishment but had not substantiated those claims.
