New York City, NY: An accused Bronx mom killed her 6-year-old daughter by tying her up and hanging her in a closet in their dirty NYCHA apartment, police said.
A police report says that on May 26, 2023, Lynija Eason Kumar, 26, hit Jalayah Eason Kumar with a hard object while the girl’s hands and feet were tied and she was hanging in the closet of her 12th-floor apartment at East 165th Street in the Forest Houses complex.
At about 4 a.m., investigators found the malnourished child with new and old bruises all over her body and ligature marks on her arms. They rushed the girl to the hospital, but they couldn’t save her.
As per PIX11 News at the time that the mother told police she found the child on the floor next to a closet, out of her bed. Court records show that the claimed abuse took place from March to May 2023.
When Jalayah died in February, the medical examiner said it was a murder. Child abuse, such as restraint, positional asphyxia, blunt force injuries, and not getting enough food, was the cause of death, according to authorities.
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There were dirty clothes, trash, and open food containers all over the flat. The cabinets and fridge were full of spoiled food, and the house was full of bugs. Officials said the room also smelled like poop and urine.
Jalayah’s two brothers, who were 8 and 3 years old at the time, clearly showed signs of abuse while they were in the apartment. There were charges of endangering the safety of a child against the mom because of the injuries. Sources say that after Jalayah’s death in 2023, the brothers were given to the Administration for Children’s Services to care for.
Police nabbed Kumar last week and are now charging him with murder and manslaughter. The court records show that she pleaded not guilty and was held without bail until her hearing.
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