Photo: Getty Images
A four-year-old boy in Harlem was allegedly starved to death by his parents while they're blaming children's services for his death, per ABC7.
According to investigators, Jahmeik Modlin, 4, who weighed in at 19 pounds at the time of his death, died of chronic starvation, malnutrition, and dehydration.
The boy’s parents, Nytavia Ragsdale and Laron Modlin, were arrested and charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Their three other children -- ages five, six, and seven -- were also found severely malnourished and remain hospitalized, according to authorities.
However, the parents are disputing claims that they didn't feed the four-year-old child. The boy's mother told investigators their child's weight loss was due to him being sick.
The family is blaming the Administration for Children's Services for their son's death. On Monday (October 21), family members appeared outside of the agency's office in Brooklyn, noting that this is the fourth child to die in the past three months after families have called for help.
The ACS previously investigated Modlin's mother for malnourishment but was unable to substantiate the claims.
"She called ACS, spoke to the social workers, spoke to the Department of Education, about the services that she needed and the strife she was facing in her home, about the domestic violence that she was going through in her home, she stressed to me that she was crying for help and no one answered," community leader Rev. Kevin McCall said.
The family is calling for the State Attorney General to investigate ACS.
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