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Police Investigate 'Suspicious' Death of 4-Year-Old Girl in Queens Shelter

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | October 24, 2014 1:44pm
 A 4-year-old girl was found dead at a homeless shelter in Queens.
A 4-year-old girl was found dead at a homeless shelter in Queens.
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Flickr/Nick_Allen

QUEENS — Police were investigating the "suspicious" death of a 4-year-old girl at a Briarwood homeless shelter for families, authorities said Friday.

The girl’s mother told investigators that she found her daughter, Lanaysah Meraldo, in the family's room at the Briarwood Family Residence, a temporary shelter for homeless families on 134th Street on Thursday at 12:50 p.m., police said.

The girl, who had bruises around her left eye and on the left side of her forehead, was pronounced dead at the scene, the NYPD said.

The mother also told the police that the previous day Lanaysah had a fight with her 5-year-old sister.

On Thursday morning, the mother told investigators that Lanaysah was not feeling well and had a stomachache, so she said she left the girl in the room while she went out.

She said that when she returned, she found her daughter "lifeless," police said. She then alerted the case worker who called 911.

The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been made in the case.

Police sources said that the family had a history with the Administration of Children's Services. In 2011, the children were taken away from the mother for about two years.

Chris Mckniff, a spokesman for the agency, said he was not able to confirm the information, citing privacy laws.