New York Mom, Boyfriend Face Charges After 8-Year-Old Autistic Boy Died as a Result of Battered Child Syndrome

Police say a Bronx mother and her boyfriend were charged on Monday with the murder of her 8-year-old son, who died in a hospital nine months ago.

The allegations come less than a week after the death of toddler Joseph Barney, who was diagnosed with battered child syndrome and was deemed a murder. Sharay Barney, 29, and her boyfriend Michael Ransom, 33, were charged with manslaughter and aggravated manslaughter, according to authorities.

Mom, boyfriend Arrested in Connection to the Death of Autistic Child

According to cops and sources, the mother took her son in an Uber from their Williamsbridge home to Montefiore Medical Center in June 2021. The youngster was found unconscious and unresponsive after cops responded to a call from the hospital's emergency department.

The kid was pronounced dead at the hospital, although he showed no indications of trauma, as per NY Post. Last Tuesday, Joseph's death was judged a murder. According to police sources, he had been transported to Montefiore several times before with signs of child abuse.

Initially, investigators were looking into whether Joseph's death was caused by starvation. At the time of his death, the boy weighed only 30 pounds. According to the CDC, a typical 8-year-old should weigh roughly 50 pounds.

The autistic boy's death was triggered by a combination of past and new traumas, they claimed. Ransom, 33, and Barney, 29, were arrested and were awaiting arraignment on murder and manslaughter charges, The New York Times reported.

On Tuesday evening, the authorities provided no reason for why they suspected Barney and Ransom were responsible for Joseph's death, nor any specifics about their separate roles in the alleged crime.

The boy had hemorrhage on his brain and optic nerve, a bruising on his head, and minor wounds on his face and mouth, according to the report. A routine state investigation undertaken after his death stated that the circumstances were "extremely suspicious." He was also severely underweight and had a chipped tooth. According to the report, no arrests were made at the time since the autopsy had not been finished.

Barney gave inconsistent statements during interviews with investigators and had planned what she would say to the authorities over text messages with Ransom, which state law requires the Office of Children and Family Services to complete when children who have been abused die.

Bronx Boy's Biological Father Expresses Fury

After the agency was made aware of the family, Stephanie Gendell, a spokesperson for the Administration for Children's Services, said the agency "immediately" initiated a joint investigation with the police. She didn't specify how or when this happened.

The agency said state law prevents authorities from providing information about specific cases. However, there are several exceptions to the rule that enable authorities to divulge additional information, such as in circumstances when a kid has died. In an email, Joseph's biological father, Desmond Long, expressed his relief at the arrests. "After what they did to Joseph, they were still together," he said.

The child's family had no active cases with child protection authorities at the time of his death, according to the state investigation. Barney initially told authorities that she left home at 7 a.m. to get ready for work. She stated she had given her child a nutritional supplement before she left, but he was sick and vomited.

Joseph seemed chilly to the touch when she returned at 12:20 p.m., she added, so she clothed him and phoned a cab. Joseph was declared dead at 2:04 p.m., after a journey to the hospital that took more than an hour. Barney and Ransom were spotted leaving the house together at 7:38 a.m., according to investigators. He returned a few minutes later and would not leave until the boy was brought to the cab. According to the report, they informed investigators that they assumed it would be faster than an ambulance, but the trip took 80 minutes.

Neighbors interviewed by child welfare caseworkers expressed no major concerns about the boy's care, but they reported about hearing "light banging" from the apartment on a routine basis, according to the report. Joseph was diagnosed with autism, and his previous school informed authorities that he had not returned when the family relocated.

School officials claimed they had left many messages for his mother, presuming he had moved schools, requesting that she transfer services. According to the state report, Barney then became uncooperative with the investigators, and Ransom never agreed to an interview.