The ten-year-old boy who was beaten to death in the family’s Harlem apartment was a little angel who never took a look, neighbors told The Post on Sunday.
The child was found Saturday afternoon with a severe trauma to his body in the home of the Saint Nicholas homes, with signs of old and new injuries, including possible sexual abuse, police and police sources said.
“I will never be able to forget it,” an emotional cop who responded to the scene told The Post on Sunday. ‘That child went through a lot. “It was not the first time, and it did not just happen yesterday,” the official said.
The child’s stepfather told police he heard a knock on the family’s front door at about 2 p.m., and when he opened it, he said, according to sources, the boy was not responding. The boy’s mother called 911 when his stepfather soaked him in cold water to revive him, sources said.
The boy was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital. No one has yet been charged in the case.
A family member of the victim told The Post during a vigil outside his building on Sunday afternoon that the boy was ‘super smart, super intelligent’ and a ‘happy’ child who liked video games.
The family member, who only identified herself as Jennifer A. (42), said she was a cousin of the child’s 30-year-old mother and ‘that boy was all about [his mother].
‘I’ve never seen bruises or scratches on him. It really hurts my heart, ”Jennifer said.
Neighbors in the building said the boy was behaving well.
“Not a pee,” a neighbor said when asked about the tragic young victim. Boy never make noise. All you say is ‘stop’, and he freezes like a statue. An angel.
“Let my stomach turn,” said the woman who asked not to be identified.
“They belong in hell,” she added about whoever hurt the boy.
Another neighbor, Destiny Rogers, told The Post on Sunday: “Yesterday around 12:00 I went out with my nephew, and I heard a male, his voice raised, he shouted at someone,” referring to noise that came from the dead. son’s apartment.
‘I could hear [the male voice] says, “Down!” and ‘Calm down!’ I thought he was arguing with a partner.
“I grew up hearing such things,” Rogers said. “I never thought…
“I wish I had stayed longer in the hallway,” she added. ‘I would have brought it to my father’s attention. He would have knocked on the door.
“It hurts,” Rogers said of the tragedy. ‘I do not know what to say. I can not believe what happened to that child. I got 2 1/2 hours of sleep last night. ”
Neighbor Judynell Groce, a retired teacher, added: ‘He was a kind of introverted kid. When his mother would talk to him, it was almost scary.
‘When the mother would talk to him, he remained silent. She would be a little loud and use an ominous with him. I never saw a man or a father with them. “They’ve been here for almost three and a half years,” Groce said.
‘As a city school teacher for over thirty years, I met some abused children. I listen to hear what is being said. No judgment. With today’s world, I’m not surprised by this. ”
The city doctor must perform an autopsy on Sunday.