New York parents 'starved boy, 4, to death as they kept fridge stocked with food for themselves'

A New York City couple is accused of starving their four-year-old son to death while keeping their fridge stocked with fresh food for themselves.

Prosecutors said Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, and Laron Modlin, 24, actively starved their son Jah’Meik Modlin along with his siblings in a Harlem apartment. He weighed just 19 pounds at the time of his death.

The couple faces multiple charges including murder, manslaughter, assault, and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Ragsdale, initially charged with second-degree manslaughter, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and is being held without bail.

Modlin's arraignment is scheduled for next week. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the additional charges were brought due to the "extreme physical neglect and persistent abuse with depraved indifference for his life" shown by the couple.

He said: "The death of Jah’Meik Modlin, an innocent four-year-old child, is a tragedy that has scarred this city. That he died a slow and painful death, starving alongside his older siblings, somehow isolated in the heart of Harlem, is a stain on our collective conscience.”

Prosecutors claim that the couple kept the house stocked with fresh food but turned the fridge towards a wall and zip-tied cabinets containing food so their children couldn't access them. They also alleged that the children were hidden from other family members and the public for most of their lives.

The children never attended school, hadn't seen a doctor in years, and lived in a room covered in feces.

Jah’Meik Modlin tragically passed away in a Harlem hospital after being discovered unconscious and unresponsive at his residence on October 13.

According to prosecutors, the young boy weighed a mere 19 pounds and had virtually no body fat at the time of his death. His three siblings, aged 5, 6, and 7, were also found to be severely malnourished and are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.

The public defender's office representing the couple declined from commenting on the matter on Thursday.