Parents Charged in Harlem Starvation Murder – NBC New York

The parents of a 4-year-old Harlem boy who starved to death have been charged with murder, assault and child endangerment, among other crimes, the Manhattan district attorney's office said Wednesday, calling the case a “tragedy that has scarred the city.” “

Jahmeik Modlin was found dead in a Harlem apartment on October 13, weighing just 19 pounds. Neighbors had described his mother, Nytavia Ragsdale, who was arrested along with the father, as a seemingly caring woman who often expressed concern for other children. That wasn't the case with her, prosecutors claim.

According to court documents, the boy's 25-year-old father, Laron Modlin, called 911 the night Jahmeik died to report that the child was unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital where he received end-of-life care until his death the next morning.

His siblings, ages 5, 6 and 7, remain hospitalized due to malnutrition. Prosecutors said they had very limited fine motor skills and were unable to hold any utensils or feed themselves, although they were making progress with nutrients. When they first arrived at the hospital, they had layers of dirt on their skin and feces in their hair.

According to court documents and on-the-record statements, Ragsdale and Modlin allegedly actively starved their children for approximately two years while buying groceries for themselves daily. The apartment had a working refrigerator with fresh food, but it was turned so that the door faced the wall and could not be opened.

Every cupboard containing groceries had a zip tie on the handle.

A bedroom in the three-bedroom apartment was covered in feces. The floor could not be seen due to the amount of dirt and excrement on the floor. The walls were smeared with feces about the size of a child, prosecutors say. The only other items in the room were a few broken pieces of furniture and a mattress lying on its side covered in feces. This room was the only room in the apartment with a lock attached to the outside, allowing someone to lock someone in the room. None of the other rooms in the house had doorknobs.

According to prosecutors, Jahmeik and his siblings did not go to school and had not seen a doctor in over two years. Their parents allegedly discouraged family members or friends from visiting in person, limiting communication to telephone or video chats, continuing to isolate the children, and hiding each of their deteriorating conditions.

The city's medical examiner determined that young Jahmeik died as a result of chronic hunger, malnutrition and dehydration. Records show he had almost no body fat left when he died.

“The death of Jah'Meik Modlin, an innocent four-year-old child, is a tragedy that has marked this city,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”

“Today his parents face charges for allegedly killing him through extreme physical neglect and ongoing abuse with a depraved indifference to his life,” he continued. “Our child abuse office is working diligently to bring justice to Jah'Meik and support his three siblings through this extremely difficult process. If you are aware of severe neglect or abuse, in an emergency, please call 911 or contact us at 212-335-4308.”

The couple's legal information was unclear.

According to prosecutors, Jahmeik Modlin weighed just 19 pounds when he was found lifeless in an apartment. News 4's Brittany Miller reports.

The child's extended family continued to say they knew nothing about the living conditions in the home – but ACS did. They say they plan to sue.

The agency referred all questions about the case to the city's legal department.

Last month, Mayor Eric Adams commented on Jahmeik's death and ACS, saying, “I know we have a group of hard-working professionals who don't want to disrupt families, but would like to intervene and take the necessary steps to protect children… “All of us are hurting that something like this happened.”