HARLEM, NY — The Manhattan couple accused of killing their 4-year-old son allegedly starved all of their children for years despite enjoying fresh food every day, according to authorities.
Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, and Laron Modlin, 25, were charged Wednesday with murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jah’Meik Modlin last month, according to officials. The boy was 19 pounds when he died.
“Today his parents are indicted for allegedly killing him through extreme physical neglect and persistent abuse with depraved indifference for his life,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated.
According to court papers, the parents allegedly loaded their fridge with new food but turned it against the wall, preventing their four children from opening it. Any cabinet storing food had a zip tie around the handle.
According to court records, Jah’Meik’s brothers, aged 5, 6, and 7, are still hospitalized due to starvation and are gradually regaining their lost motor abilities, including the ability to hold utensils.
“Jah’Meik and his siblings were not attending school and had not visited a doctor in over two years. “The defendants prevented any family or friends from visiting in person, limiting communication to phone or video chats, continuing to isolate the children, and concealing each of their deteriorating conditions,” prosecutors stated.
Police responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive youngster in a home on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem around 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 13, according to authorities. The boy died from neglect and hunger the next morning.
Officials reported that Jak’Meik and his siblings arrived at the hospital with dirt under their nails and feces in their hair. Prosecutors said one of the three-bedroom apartment’s rooms was filthy and debris-filled, with feces on the walls.
“The tragic death of Jah’Meik Modlin, an innocent four-year-old child, has left this city devastated. “That he died a slow and painful death, starving alongside his older siblings, isolated in the heart of Harlem, is a stain on our collective conscience,” Bragg stated.
Ragsdale pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on Wednesday and is being jailed without bond, according to court documents.
Modlin will be arraigned on November 13.