Harlem parents have been arrested after a four-year-old child weighing just 19 pounds died

Two Harlem parents have been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of their malnourished 4-year-old son, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Nytavia Ragsdale and Laron Modlin, ages 26 and 25 respectively, were originally charged with criminal homicide following their arrest.

Ragsdale was taken into custody on Monday, October 14th. Police responded to an emergency call at 2484 7th Avenue around 7:30 p.m. the previous day and found four-year-old Jahmeik Modlin unconscious and unresponsive. He was said to be malnourished and suffering from hypothermia. After the child was taken by emergency services to Harlem Hospital, he died the next morning after several hours of euthanasia. Laron, Modlin’s father, was taken into custody on October 15.

Ragsdale was arraigned Oct. 16 and held on $100,000 bail or $300,000 bond. Laron Modlin was charged and taken into custody on October 17th.

According to court documents reviewed by Straus newsIn connection with Ragsdale’s charges, Ragsdale accompanied Jahmeik to the hospital. She even handed her child over to emergency services personnel. She said she noticed him struggling to breathe just before she instructed Laron to call 911. Ragsdale told prosecutors that she estimated his weight at 100 pounds; A coroner later concluded that he weighed 19 pounds at the time of his death and was suffering from starvation and dehydration. Ragsdale added that she believed Jahmeik was sick because he could not hold down solid food and would actually eat his own vomit. She said she only fed him a small portion of food at a time, telling prosecutors that she was usually responsible for the shopping, and that he would often get diarrhea.

Jahmeik’s parents reportedly lived with three other young children: a five-year-old, a six-year-old and a seven-year-old. Like Jahmeik, the five-year-old and the six-year-old were biologically related to both parents. The seven-year-old was Ragsdale’s biological son, although Laron Modlin also considered him a son. All three children were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where, like Jahmeik, they were considered severely malnourished.

Ragsdale told prosecutors that none of her children ever went to school. She also said that no one has been vaccinated and that she does not go to the doctor with them except for emergencies. Modlin told prosecutors that he “may not have noticed” the deteriorating health of his children, including Jahmeik, because he “was often playing video games or talking on the phone.” He made it clear that the children had only been to the doctor once and rarely left the apartment.

A neighbor of the parents, Erica Speed, said this Daily News that Rasgdale “was on the same Otufit for two years.” She also said she had “never” seen any of the children go to school or leave the apartment. The same outlet also reported that investigators from the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) had previously visited the home, and although they suspected Jahmeik was malnourished, they did not investigate further.

When Ragsdale was charged, she was given a protective order that barred her from contact with her surviving children, causing her to burst into tears.