Malnourished boy, 4, found dead in Harlem: police

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A malnourished 4-year-old boy was found dead inside a Harlem apartment on Sunday evening.

NYPD officers responding to a 911 call around 7:40 p.m. found the boy unconscious and unresponsive inside 2484 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

EMS transported the boy to NYC Health + Hospital/Harlem, where he was pronounced dead.

The child appeared to be malnourished, police said.

Neighbors painted a grim picture of what life was like for the boy and his three siblings. Erica, a neighbor and fellow mother in the building, shared with 1010 WINS that she had been friendly with the boy’s mother but never saw the children leaving the apartment.

“I’ve lived here for four years. She’s lived here almost three, and I never saw her kids,” Erica said. “I’d see her with the same clothes on. So I asked, you know, all her, my service is like, ‘Oh, I got kids’ clothes. Do you want them?’ She always denied the clothes.”

Additionally, multiple neighbors reported that the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) had been called on the family several times after they heard the children screaming. Erica added that despite these concerns, the boy’s mother seemed to have a quiet demeanor.

“I’ve never seen her angry or upset or nothing like that,” Erica explained. “I thought she was a soft-spoken, nice person.”

Police confirmed that a person was taken into custody at the scene for questioning but did not specify if it was the boy’s mother.

No arrests were reported Monday as the investigation continued.