Funeral for malnourished 4-year-old Jahmeik Modlin honors him with angel wings

A heartbreaking ceremonial for Jahmeik Modlin, a malnourished 4-year-old lad who weighed conscionable 19 pounds erstwhile helium died, honored the small lad with a tiny achromatic coffin adorned with golden finishings adjacent to a poster committee with Jameik pictured arsenic a babe with angel wings, bordered by Mickey Mouse, characters from Paw Patrol and Spider Man.

Mourners be the ceremonial for Jahmeik Ragsdale astatine the Elim International Fellowship Church successful Brooklyn, New York City connected Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

“They should not marque boxes that small,” lamented Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who spoke astatine the ceremonial astatine Elim International Fellowship church successful Brooklyn.

Also successful attendance were authorities Attorney General Letitia James, NYPD main of section Jeffrey Maddrey and different metropolis officials, successful summation to Jameik’s family.

“This has been a precise hard clip for us. Please support america successful your prayers,” said the small boy’s maternal aunt, Dianna Kerlegrand, who broke down arsenic she spoke and had to beryllium helped to basal steadily. “I privation to get justness for my nephew, and conscionable convey everyone for coming out.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks astatine the ceremonial for Jahmeik Ragsdale astatine the Elim International Fellowship Church successful Brooklyn, New York City connected Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

Police responding to a 911 telephone Oct. 13 recovered Jahmeik unconscious and not breathing successful beforehand of his family’s flat gathering connected Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. adjacent W. 145th St. successful Harlem with his mother, who had brought him extracurricular to hold for the ambulance. Medics rushed Jameik to Harlem Hospital, wherever helium died 10 hours later. He was profoundly malnourished and suffering from exzema truthful terrible that archetypal responders thought the small boy’s tegument was burned.

Jameik’s 26-year-old mother, Nytavia Ragsdale, was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide and endangering the payment of a kid soon aft his death. Ragsdale has said she reached out to societal workers from the city’s Administration for Children’s Services galore times but did not person help.

ACS had visited the family’s location before, but closed its past lawsuit with the household successful 2022 aft determining determination was nary origin for further action, according a constabulary source.

The household is currently suing ACS.

Before the ceremonial began, metropolis Department of Corrections officials allowed Ragsdale and the boy’s father, Laron Modlin, 25 — who was besides arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide and endangering the payment of a kid — to presumption their small boy’s assemblage earlier returning to jail.

The coffin of Jahmeik Ragsdale is carried retired of the Elim International Fellowship Church successful Brooklyn, New York City connected Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

“The champion mode to enactment done this symptom is to guarantee that nary kid successful the metropolis oregon state, ever dies again from starvation. Amen. Never, ever again,” said James. “As the Attorney General of this state, who has a work to attraction for each children, this day, I committedness you family, to propulsion that this study beryllium made public,” she added, referring to the existent ongoing probe of whether ACS could person done thing otherwise that mightiness person prevented Jahmeik’s death.

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks astatine the ceremonial for Jahmeik Ragsdale astatine the Elim International Fellowship Church successful Brooklyn, New York City connected Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)