The parents of a 4-year-old boy who died after being found unresponsive in his Harlem apartment on Sunday have been charged with criminally negligent homicide and child endangerment, police announced.
The boy's mother, Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, was taken into custody shortly after her son was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital. And on Tuesday, police said they arrested 25-year-old Laron Modlin, the boy's father, shortly before 6 p.m. in Harlem.
According to NYPD officials, first responders had found 4-year-old Jahmeik Modlin unconscious at around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday in the family's apartment on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and West 144th Street.
Police said the boy’s father called 911 and it was unclear if Ragsdale was home when officers initially arrived. Officials could not immediately say whether officers had been called to the home in the past, but confirmed that the family had at least two other children.
The Administration for Children’s Services said in a statement that the agency is investigating the incident with the NYPD.
“The safety and well-being of New York City’s children is our top priority,” said spokesperson Stephanie Gendell.
The agency is prohibited by state law from disclosing whether a family has a history with ACS.
Some initial reports indicate that Jahmeik Modlin was malnourished and suffering from hypothermia when he died, though police said the city medical examiner is still investigating the actual cause of death.
Ragsdale was awaiting her arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, and information for her lawyer was not yet available. Attorney information also was not immediately available for Laron Modlin, the boy's father.
Her uncle, Rod Ragsdale, told Gothamist in an interview he had had “no indication something was wrong" in his niece's household.
“She’d put the kids on FaceTime and I’d talk to them and they’d laugh and grin,” he said, adding that he spoke with Ragsdale a few times a week. He said he last spoke with her on Sunday and that other relatives had also spoken with her in the last couple of days.
Rod Ragsdale said his niece’s mother and father — who was his brother — are both deceased and Nytavia has struggled since losing them. The uncle said the father of Ragsdale's three smallest children did not work, nor did his family help them financially.
“She’s been very depressed. I think it’s safe to say that, she’s been very depressed," Rod Ragsdale said. He described the entire incident as a “tragedy” and “shock.”
This story has been updated with comment from Rod Ragsdale and information about the arrest of Laron Modlin.