Nixzmary Brown, 7 years old
The girl's stepfather was charged with murder and sexual abuse, and her mother was charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment, police said.
A law enforcement official said there was evidence the girl, Nixzmary Brown, had been held captive in a room where she was bound by her ankles to a chair.
Nixzmary died amid an investigation by the Administration for Children's Services into reports of abuse in the home. The case followed recent reports about troubling holes in the city's safety net for abused children.
The death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy found the child died from a brain hemorrhage caused by blunt impact to the head, said medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove.
Names of the mother and stepfather, who is believed to be the father of at least two of the other children, were not immediately made public.
The mother told authorities she found the girl unconscious in the Brooklyn apartment early Wednesday and called 911. The child was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical technicians.
The five other children, ages 6 months to 9 years, were removed from the home for examination at an area hospital.
Caseworkers already were investigating an allegation of abuse against the girl reported on December 1. Another allegation from earlier last year proved unfounded, the agency said.
ACS Commissioner John Mattingly said in a statement he was "deeply disturbed" by the death. He and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city was reviewing how it investigates claims of child abuse.
Last month the agency released reports criticizing its handling of the cases of two children who ended up dead. Both cases involved children who had been removed from their homes following allegations of abuse but were allowed to return.
No comments:
Post a Comment