Current:Home > Contact-usNYC parents charged in death of 4-year-old boy who prosecutors say was starved to death-LoTradeCoin
NYC parents charged in death of 4-year-old boy who prosecutors say was starved to death
View Date:2024-12-24 00:38:57
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City couple were indicted Wednesday in the death of their 4-year-old son, who prosecutors say was actively starved along with his siblings in a Harlem apartment where the parents kept their fridge stocked with fresh food for themselves.
Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, and Laron Modlin, 24, face a range of charges including murder, manslaughter, assault and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Ragsdale, who had been initially charged with second-degree manslaughter, pleaded not guilty Wednesday and remains held without bail. Modlin will be arraigned next week.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the additional and stepped-up charges were warranted because of the “extreme physical neglect and persistent abuse with depraved indifference for his life” demonstrated by the couple.
“The death of Jah’Meik Modlin, an innocent four-year-old child, is a tragedy that has scarred this city,” Bragg said in statement. “That he died a slow and painful death, starving alongside his older siblings, somehow isolated in the heart of Harlem, is a stain on our collective conscience.”
Prosecutors said the couple stocked the house with fresh food but turned the fridge toward a wall and placed zip ties on cabinets containing food so their children could not open them.
They also said the children were hidden from other family and the public most of their lives. The children never attended school, had not seen a doctor in years and lived in a room covered in feces.
Jah’Meik Modlin died at a Harlem hospital after police found him unconscious and unresponsive at his home on Oct. 13.
At the time of his death, he weighed just 19 pounds and had almost no body fat, prosecutors said. The boy’s three other siblings, ages 5, 6 and 7, were also severely malnourished and remain hospitalized.
The public defender’s office representing the couple declined to comment Thursday.
veryGood! (6121)
Related
- US Election Darkens the Door of COP29 as It Opens in Azerbaijan
- Kyle Richards Weighs in on Family Drama Between Mauricio Umansky and Paris Hilton
- A Tennessee fisherman reeled in a big one. It turned out to be an alligator
- With Netflix series '3 Body Problem,' 'Game Of Thrones' creators try their hand at sci-fi
- Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
- A Nebraska bill to subject librarians to charges for giving ‘obscene material’ to children fails
- Caroline Wozniacki & More Tennis Pros Support Aryna Sabalenka After Konstantin Koltsov's Death
- Alabama governor signs anti-diversity, equity and inclusion bill
- Isiah Pacheco injury updates: When will Chiefs RB return?
- Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes
Ranking
- Top Federal Reserve official defends central bank’s independence in wake of Trump win
- South Carolina Court Weighs What Residents Call ‘Chaotic’ Coastal Adaptation Standards
- March Madness bracket picks for Thursday's first round of the men's NCAA Tournament
- Making a restaurant reservation? That'll be $100 — without food or drinks.
- Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
- New York attorney general disputes Trump's claim that he can't secure $464 million to post bond
- Do sharks lay eggs? Here's how the fish gives birth and what some eggs look like.
- Some Georgia workers would find it harder to become union members under a new bill
Recommendation
-
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to CeeDee Lamb's excuse about curtains at AT&T Stadium
-
Funeral home owners accused of storing nearly 200 decaying bodies to enter pleas
-
The Top 32 Amazon Beauty Deals on Celeb-Loved Picks: Kyle Richards, Chrishell Stause, Sarah Hyland & More
-
Kelly Ripa Says Mark Consuelos Kept Her Up All Night—But It's Not What You Think
-
Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
-
Grambling State coach Donte' Jackson ready to throw 'whatever' at Zach Edey, Purdue
-
The Utah Jazz arena's WiFi network name is the early star of March Madness
-
Caroline Wozniacki & More Tennis Pros Support Aryna Sabalenka After Konstantin Koltsov's Death