New York toddler, Lanaysah Meraldo, found dead in bed at shelter
New York City detectives are investigating the death of a 4-year-old girl who was found dead on Thursday while with her mother at a homeless shelter in Queens, the police said.
The mother told officers that she had put her daughter, Lanaysah Meraldo, down for a nap at some point during the day and that when she went to check on her, the girl was unconscious and unresponsive, the police said.
Officers found the girl in bed, not moving and with bruises around her head. Police then contacted emergency medical workers, but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
For now police are not releasing the name of the mother as they piece together more details. Police did not say how long the mother and daughter lived at the shelter in Briarwood, Queens.
According to the NY Post, a fight with a sister left the 4-year-old with bruises, “a fight with her 5-year-old sister Wednesday night that left her with a bruised face, the mother told police.”
More from the Post:
The mother also told cops that she decided to keep her 4-year-old daughter, Lanaysah Meraldo, home from day care the next morning because the child woke up with stomach pains and a fever, a police source said.
Later Thursday morning, a maintenance worker stopped by and saw the girl playing with toys. It was less than two hours later that, the mother said, she called out to the girl, got no answer and then discovered her lying unconscious on the floor, the source said.
According to the NY Times, she lived at the shelter with four other children.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has yet to determine a cause of death, but that report is due anytime.