Parents of 4-year-old who starved to death in NYC apartment charged with murder

A New York City couple were indicted on charges of murder Wednesday after prosecutors said they "actively starved" their 4-year-old son and abused their three other children in their Harlem apartment.

Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, and Laron Modlin, 25 were charged with second-degree murder, four counts of first-degree assault, second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Online inmate records show the couple remained in custody without bail.

The couple were initially charged with second-degree manslaughter last month. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the additional charges were warranted due to their "extreme physical neglect and persistent abuse with depraved indifference."

Prosecutors accused Ragsdale and Laron Modlin of starving 4-year-old Jah’Meik Modlin and his three older siblings — ages 5, 6, and 7 — for about two years while they bought food for themselves on daily.

"The death of Jah’Meik Modlin, an innocent four-year-old child, is a tragedy that has scarred this city. 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," Bragg said in a statement.

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Jah’Meik Modlin found unresponsive in Harlem apartment

Prosecutors said Jah’Meik Modlin died at a Harlem hospital after police found him unresponsive at his home on Oct. 13. The boy was given end of life care until he died at around 5:50 a.m. on Oct. 14, according to prosecutors.

At the time of his death, Jah’Meik Modlin weighed about 19 pounds and had "almost no body fat," prosecutors said. The normal weight for 4-year-old boys is between 30 to 44 pounds, according to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Prosecutors said Jah’Meik Modlin had suffered from malnutrition, dehydration and starvation. Court documents revealed that Ragsdale and Laron Modlin had "actively starved" their four children but kept their refrigerator stocked for themselves every day.

According to prosecutors, the refrigerator contained fresh produce but was kept turned to the wall so that it could not be opened, and cabinets containing food were zip-tied.

Prosecutors said the children lived in unsafe and poor conditions, detailing how one bedroom in the three-bedroom apartment was "covered in feces." Prosecutors added that the bedroom was the only room in the apartment that had a doorknob, and it had a lock placed on the outside — which "allowed someone to lock an individual inside of the room."

"The floor could not be seen through the amount of dirt and excrement on the floor. The walls were smeared with feces to the approximate height of a child," according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. "The only other items in the room were a few pieces of broken furniture, as well as a mattress, propped on its side and covered in feces."

Jah’Meik Modlin and his siblings were also not enrolled in school and had not seen a doctor in over two years, prosecutors said. Both Ragsdale and Laron Modlin kept family and friends from visiting in person, limited contact to phone or video chats, and isolated the children while hiding their deteriorating conditions.

When Jah’Meik Modlin and his siblings arrived at the hospital last month, prosecutors said they had "layers of dirt on their skin and feces matted in their hair." The three older siblings, who remain hospitalized for malnutrition, also "displayed very limited fine motor skills," and could not hold any utensils or feed themselves, according to prosecutors.

Since their hospitalization, prosecutors said the three siblings are starting to regain motor skills.

Reports: NYC child welfare agency was previously notified of neglect

The family had a history with New York City's child welfare agency, the Administration for Children’s Services, The New York Times previously reported. Since 2019, the agency has been aware of mistreatment and domestic abuse claims involving the family but closed its last case in 2022, according to the Times.

The Times reported that Ragsdale’s sister, Nyisha Ragsdale, and Laron Modlin's mother, Laura Jones, are seeking custody of the surviving siblings. Nyisha Ragsdale also announced last month that she plans to sue the city for failing to protect Jah’Meik Modlin, according to The Times and NBC News.

Nyisha Ragsdale filed a $40 million notice of claim on Oct. 24, alleging that the Administration for Children’s Services was previously notified of neglect and malnourishment and neglect involving the family, NBC News reported.

But despite these reports as well as requests for assistance from Nytavia Ragsdale, the claim alleged that the agency "neglected to remove Jahmeik from the harmful environment, which allowed his condition to worsen, leading to his death."