SOUTH BRONX — The step-grandfather of a three-year-old Bronx boy who was found dead last weekend was arrested and charged Thursday with beating the child to death, police and family said.
Fernando Yensi, 33, was charged with manslaughter Poseidon Quinones, who was living with him and the boy's paternal grandmother, according to the NYPD.
"There’s no way anybody could justify beating a three year old," the boy's father Benjamin Quinones, 23, said.
The father said he lost custody of the child after he got kicked out of a homeless shelter where they were living with the boy's mother, Ashley Ramirez, 22.
The child's grandmother Madeline Yensi, who lives at 317 East 163rd St., was granted custody in mid-October, the dad said.
ACS spokesman Christopher McKniff said he could not comment on the specifics of this case due to confidentiality laws.
"We are heartbroken at this tragedy, and our thoughts go out to everyone who knew and loved Poseidon Quinones," he said. "ACS is conducting a full review of the case to determine what happened that led to this horrifying result.”
Poseidon was found unconscious about 1:42 a.m. by his grandmother on Saturday and taken to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The child's grandmother had found him unresponsive and called 911, according to police sources.
Poseidon died of abdominal injuries and blunt force trauma to his torso, according to the Medical Examiner, which ruled the case a homicide.
Quinones described Poseidon as an intelligent, friendly child who loved the Power Rangers.
"He was a happy kid. He was affectionate. He was loving. He was smart," he said. "There was nothing wrong with him."
