CASTLETON CORNERS — There was nothing the city could do to protect a mother stabbed to death by an abusive boyfriend along with her two children inside a Staten Island homeless shelter, because she had never reported the abuse directly to shelter officials, city administrators told the state Thursday.
In a letter responding to a state order that the city shut down the homeless shelter where the attack took place this week and increase security at homeless shelters around the city, Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steven Banks wrote that Rebecca Cutler didn't report any prior domestic violence related incidents between her and Michael Sykes when she was last interviewed on Dec. 4 2015.
In addition, neither HRA or the Department of Homeless Services were aware that Cutler had called the NYPD on Tuesday and filed a complaint after Sykes pushed her and forcibly took her cellphone during an argument, according to the letter.
Sykes — who has not been found as of Friday — attacked Cutler, 26, and her 2-year-old, 1-year-old and 4-month-old daughters with a kitchen knife inside her room at the Ramada Inn at 535 Gannon Ave. N, near Willowbook Road, police said.
Cutler and her 1-year-old daughter Ziana died from their wounds, as did Sykes' 4-month old daughter Maiyah, police said. Cutler's 2-year-old daughter was clinging to life after the attack, officials said.
Police are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to Sykes' arrest.
The Ramada Inn — which was one of four hotels being used to house homeless in the borough — had its security assessed by DHS on Oct. 20, 2015, the city said.
It had 32 security cameras covering the lobby and common areas of the hotel and a security guard who patrolled the hotel overnight. The guard completed his shift more than two hours before the stabbing, the city said.
The cameras caught Sykes going in and out of the room, but there were no indications of a fight that would have alerted security, the city said.
During the time of the stabbing, the hotel had 15 staff members on site and there were no violent incidents reported to DHS at the hotel before, the city said.
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance cited the stabbing in ordering the city to shut the Ramada Inn as a homeless shelter, relocate the residents and beef up security at the other centers around the city.
The city responded that it was already in the process of relocating families and does not plan to resume placements at the facility.
