A mother and grandmother in the Bronx are under arrest and facing charges for allegedly starving a 16-year-old boy with autism to death.
Adonis Jarvis was pronounced dead at a hospital in the Bronx on March 19.
Officers were called to the hospital after he appeared to be malnourished and the Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.
On Thursday, his mother and grandmother, 36-year-old Geneva Jarvis and 62-year-old Denise Jarvis, were arrested and indicted on charges of second-degree murder, as well as manslaughter, depraved indifference assault, and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person.
Officials say an autopsy revealed that the teenager was starved to death. Sources say he weighed just 60 pounds at the time of his death.
It also appears that the teen's twin brother was hospitalized for starvation but survived. Both children were described by law enforcement as nonverbal.
Police say they both exhibited signs of chronic neglect, starvation and dehydration upon arrival at the hospital and they had sores on their legs and all over their bodies.
"These two women failed in their duty and responsibility to care for these boys," said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. "One child has died. The other faces a lengthy recovery."
The family lives in a third-floor walkup on East 147th Street.
The building superintendent told Eyewitness News that their apartment was filthy and uninhabitable.
"It's filled with garbage and clothes all over the place, I told her I wanted to go in the apartment to fix it, she kept saying 'OK tomorrow' and she never let us in," said Dennis, the super.
He told Eyewitness News that he remembered the night Adonis died. They called an ambulance but brought him out into the hallway.
"They put him in the hallway. Why didn't they keep him inside the apartment?" Dennis said.
Other neighbors said they never saw any red flags, but pointed out that the family kept to themselves.
"I'm shocked, saddened, because this should never happen. Never, never," said neighbor Christine Valentin.
She said that she used to see the twins get on the same school bus as her daughter with special needs, last year. She says it didn't seem like anything was wrong.
"I just thought they were special needs. A little bit more than my daughter, but no bells were ringing, you know, nothing to be alarmed about," Valentine said.
Both women were arraigned on Thursday afternoon and were held without bail.
The Administration for Children's Services (ACS) says it's investigating the tragic incident.
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