[UPDATE BELOW] The four-year-old boy who tragically died in a Midtown apartment yesterday was being watched by a babysitter while his father sat in a New Jersey jail; police say the child's body showed signs of abuse, and the woman who was caring for him is now being questioned.
The toddler, Myles Dobson, was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital yesterday, after he was found unconscious in an empty bathtub in an apartment at 235 West 48th Street. A 37-year-old woman who was caring for him at the time told police she momentarily left him seated on a bathroom counter near the tub; when she heard a "thump," she returned to find he had fallen.
Doctors at Roosevelt Hospital reportedly discovered bruises and cigarette burns on the boy's body, and the Daily News notes that "his body had wounds that appeared to have been sustained while he tried to defend himself."
Myles had apparently been in the unnamed woman's care since December 18th; his father, 37-year-old Okee Wade, was arrested in New Jersey on an outstanding warrant for bank fraud, and has been in jail since. Family members told investigators that Wade has a significant criminal history, and police say he previously served over three years in prison for attempted robbery; Myles' mother, who recently lost custody of him, lives in South Carolina.
Police are now questioning Myles' babysitter, and a spokesman for the Administration of Child Services says they are investigating the toddler's death as well.
Update 2:03 p.m.: Myles' caretaker, now identified as 37-year-old Janaie Jones, has allegedly admitted to repeatedly abusing the 4-year-old in the weeks leading up to his death, and reports indicate that she will be charged.
Doctors noted Myles' body was covered with bruises, lacerations and cigarette burns; Jones, a performer who goes by the name Kryzie King, allegedly told cops she had been "giving him corporal punishment" and was "trying to control him." A police source told DNAinfo: "This is as bad as it gets. She tortured him over a period of days. The body was riddled with scars and marks, was beaten with hangers and belts. The beatings just grew."
The Daily News adds: "The sitter also allegedly slammed Myls against a wall, knocking out one of the little boy's front teeth, according to police sources."
