NYC father arrested, mother charged after 4-year-old son dies

HARLEM - The father of the 4-year-old boy found dead in Harlem has been arrested, while his mother is expected to be arraigned.

Police say that 25-year-old Laron Modlin is being charged with criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child. 

Outside the apartment building where 4-year-old Jahmeik Modlin spent his short, tragic life, residents have placed teddy bears, candles and balloons in memory of the child.

Neighbors told FOX 5 they rarely saw him outside.

Modlin's mother, Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, has been charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, police said.

Police sources told FOX 5 the boy appeared severely malnourished. On Monday afternoon, police officers from the Elite Emergency Unit went into the apartment in search of the boy's father. 

He did not live with the mother, but sources close to the investigation say he was the one who called 911 on Sunday night and told them his son was unconscious. 

According to police, Modlin was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. 

Sources said doctors and staff did everything they could to keep him alive, but Modlin was pronounced dead Monday morning around 5:50 a.m.

Sources told FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers he has been arrested and is now in custody. 

Now in Harlem, there is outrage, but most of all, sadness.

"I feel like it's a blessing to have a child. If you can't take care of a child, then you shouldn't have them. You know, put them up for adoption," resident Robert Paulin said. "I have got 23 grandchildren and I lost one two years ago. Children are our future."

Authorities are waiting for the final results of the Medical Examiners investigation to find out if the boy was starved to death or by other causes.