An autistic Bronx teen who died of starvation in March was covered in bed sores, feces and flies when first responders found him and his twin brother in the apartment they shared with their mother and grandmother, prosecutors said Thursday.
Adonis Jarvis, 16, weighed just 59 pounds on March 19 when paramedics responded to a 911 call at the family’s apartment on East 147th Street and Brook Avenue in the South Bronx.
He was taken to Lincoln Hospital and pronounced dead, according to an indictment released by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. Adonis’s twin brother was “severely malnourished” and weighed just 60 pounds, having lost 20 pounds from his last documented doctor’s visit in August 2024. Both had been diagnosed with autism, were nonverbal and had a history of seizures, prosecutors said.
The boys’ mother, 36-year-old Geneva Jarvis, and grandmother, Denise Jarvis, 62, were arraigned late Thursday on charges including depraved indifference murder, manslaughter and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person. They were ordered held in jail as their case proceeds.
“These two women failed in their duty and responsibility to care for these boys. One child has died. The other faces a lengthy recovery,” said District Attorney Darcel Clark.
The medical examiner determined Jarvis’ death was the result of neglect, starvation and dehydration, officials said.
The Administration for Children’s Services said it was investigating alongside the NYPD but declined to comment on the family’s case because of state confidentiality laws.
“The safety and well-being of New York City’s children is our top priority. We are investigating this tragic incident with the NYPD,” agency spokesperson Marisa Kaufman said.
Geneva and Denise Jarvis are due back in court on Oct. 27. Information for their attorneys was not immediately available Friday.