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Mom, Boyfriend Arrested After Death of 6-Year-Old Boy

By Dartunorro Clark | September 28, 2016 11:49am
 Geraldine Perkins, 26, rightm and her boyfriend Rysheim Smith, 42, were charged in connection with the death of her son Zymere Perkins, 6, left.
Geraldine Perkins, 26, rightm and her boyfriend Rysheim Smith, 42, were charged in connection with the death of her son Zymere Perkins, 6, left.
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HARLEM — A mother and her boyfriend have been arrested after a 6-year-old boy whose body was covered in bruises died in East Harlem, police said.

Geraldine Perkins, 26, and Rysheim Smith, 42, were charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child in connection to the death of Zymere Perkins, who died Monday, police said.

Perkins hailed a cab Monday afternoon and rushed the boy to St. Luke's Hospital, where Zymere was pronounced dead, officials said.

The boy had bruises all over his body and had suffered a concussion, police said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who weighed in on the child’s death in his WNYC “Ask The Mayor” segment Wednesday, said that the city failed the child.

“We did not succeed in saving this child, which is unacceptable to me," said de Blasio. "A lot of holes in the system have been plugged but we keep finding new things we have to address.

"The bottom line is something needed to be done differently here."

The Administration of Children’s Services said it could not comment on past child abuse incidents, but the New York Daily News cited sources saying the mother had been investigated at least five times since 2010 regarding child abuse allegations.

“The NYC Administration for Children’s Services is devastated by the tragic loss of this child," a statement released by ACS officials said. "We are fully investigating this incident, along with the NYPD, and cannot further comment at this time."