A special needs boy was found dead in a Bronx apartment, along with his mother, who authorities allege overdosed and left the boy helpless.
According to the New York Post, the heartbreaking incident occurred inside a 5240 Broadway apartment the mother shared with her son, who was on a feeding tube and appeared bedridden. The unfortunate and morbid discovery has left the city reeling after a preliminaty investigation has determined the special needs boy may have potentially starved after his mother died from a suspected drug overdose.
Bedridden boy, 10, starves to death after mom’s fatal OD in NYC home: sources https://t.co/uOl62lujIK pic.twitter.com/gNuHet3M63
— New York Post (@nypost) August 15, 2024
The boy’s death has sparked outrage due to the family’s history with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). The 39-year-old mother had been investigated for abuse and neglect, with the boy being removed from her care at one point, only to be returned later, sources revealed. This grave mistake has angered many, including elected officials and investigators.
“If you investigate a parent and return a child who later dies, that is a crime, and someone needs to be held accountable,” an investigator told The Post. “You can’t hide behind bureaucracy: ACS needs a total overhaul. This happens too many times, and one time is too much because we are talking about defenseless children.”
Tragically, this wasn’t the only child death under ACS scrutiny in the Bronx on Wednesday night. An 11-month-old girl was found dead after her mother called the police and said she drowned in the bath tub. Similarly, the 30-year-old mother of the deceased girl had previously been investigated by ACS and her father reportedly had an open case with the organization at the time of her death. The disturbing trend of oversight failures has cast a dark cloud over the agency, with Councilwoman Diana Ayala calling the boy’s death “heartbreaking” and vowing to investigate further.
“I will follow up to see what happened here,” Ayala stated.
Similar incidents have occurred across the city, with ACS facing harsh criticism for repeatedly returning vulnerable children to homes with questionable care. In recent years, there have been multiple cases of children dying under similar circumstances, sparking calls for reform and greater accountability within the agency.