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NEW YORK (PIX11) — A mother is demanding accountability from city agencies, she says, who failed to protect her 2-year-old son, who prosecutors say was severely beaten by his father in Queens.
The toddler, Maliek, is intubated and on life support at a Manhattan hospital after investigators say his father assaulted him in a drunken rage and failed to call for medical help.
Investigators allege the child’s father, Dayvon Morrison, nearly beat him to death. Morrison was arrested on Tuesday in Queens, facing attempted murder and assault charges.
According to prosecutors, Morrison shared custody of Maliek and had the child with him last Friday at a Long Island City homeless shelter. A criminal complaint states that when Morrison woke up the following morning, the toddler was covered in bruises. Prosecutors say Morrison later told detectives that he must have hit his son, but did not remember because he was intoxicated.
Instead of calling for help, prosecutors say Morrison waited three days before bringing Maliek to his mother’s home, where the child was barely clinging to life. An ambulance was then called.
Doctors found Maliek had suffered a blown pupil, a fractured pelvis, a lacerated liver, and severe brain damage, authorities said.
Maliek’s mother, Cyndy Williams, said doctors have told her there is nothing more they can do.
“It’s too late,” Williams said. “You all saw the signs. My son cried every time he had to go with that man. It’s too late.”
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Williams said she repeatedly warned caseworkers at the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, the courts, and police that her son was in danger.
“I fought for my son,” she said. “I warned ACS, the courts, NYPD — everybody. I warned everybody, and now you can hear me.”
Williams showed PIX11 News messages she said she sent to ACS from October through last summer, claiming Morrison was mentally ill and hurting their son.
ACS declined to comment on the specific allegations, citing privacy laws that prevent the agency from discussing individual cases publicly, but said it is investigating.
Domestic Violence advocate Stephanie McGraw, who founded the nonprofit WARM, says the case highlights ongoing failures to act on warning signs of domestic violence involving children and people of color.
“Why do we have to wait again and again to shed a light on domestic violence?” McGraw said. “There were red flags.”
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