Harlem Parents Arrested After 4 y.o. Child Weighing Only 19 Pounds Dies

Two Harlem parents have been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of their malnourished four year-old son, according to the Manhattan D.A.’s office. Nytavia Ragsdale and Laron Modlin, aged 26 and 25, respectively, were originally charged with criminal homicide after being arrested.

Ragsdale was taken into custody on Monday, Oct. 14. Police had answered a 911 call at 2484 7th Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. the previous day, where they discovered four year-old Jahmeik Modlin unconscious and unresponsive. He was said to be underfed and suffering from hypothermia. After being rushed by EMS to Harlem Hospital, the child died the next morning, following a number of hours on end-of-life care. Laron, Modlin’s father, was taken into custody on October 15.

Ragsdale was arraigned on October 16, and was held on $100,000 cash bail, or a $300,000 bond. Laron Modlin was arraigned on Oct. 17 and remanded into custody.

According to court documents reviewed by Straus News, pertaining to Ragsdale’s arraignment, Ragsdale accompanied Jahmeik to the hospital. She even handed her child to EMS personnel. She said that she had noticed him struggling for breath shortly before instructing Laron to call 911. Ragsdale told prosecutors that she estimated his weight at 100 pounds; a medical examiner later ruled that he weighed 19 pounds at the time of his death, and was suffering from starvation and dehydration. Ragsdale added that she believed Jahmeik was sick, as he couldn’t hold down solid foods, and would indeed eat his own vomit. She said that she fed him a little bit of food at a time, which she told prosecutors she was usually responsible for shopping for, and that he would have frequent diarrhea.

Jahmeik’s parents reportedly lived with three other young children: a five year-old, a six year-old, and a seven year-old. The five year-old and six year-old, like Jahmeik, were biologically related to both parents. The seven year-old was Ragsdale’s biological son, although Laron Modlin considered him a son as well. All three children were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they were deemed severely malnourished, much like Jahmeik.

Ragsdale told prosecutors that none of her children have ever been enrolled in school. She also said that none are vaccinated, and that she does not take them to the doctor outside of emergencies. Modlin told prosecutors that he “must not have noticed” the deteriorating health of his children, including Jahmeik, because he was “often playing video games or is on his phone.” He clarified that the children have only been to the doctor once, and that that they rarely leave the apartment.

A neighbor of the parents, Erica Speed, told the Daily News that Rasgdale “had on the same otufit for two years.” She also said that she had “never” seen any of the children go to school or leave the apartment. The same outlet also reported that Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) investigators had previously stopped by the apartment, and although they suspected that Jahmeik was malnourished, they didn’t follow up on it.

At Ragsdale’s arraignment, she was issued a protective order preventing her from making contact with her surviving children, leading her to break into tears.