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Grandparents Arrested in Death of Richmond Hill Toddler, Police Say

By  Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska and Katie Honan | July 19, 2017 11:56am | Updated on July 19, 2017 5:55pm

 The grandparents of 3-year-old Romeo Lewis — Sita Parsad-Moore and Vincent Moore — were charged with reckless endangerment and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Parsad-Moore was also charged with manslaughter.
The grandparents of 3-year-old Romeo Lewis — Sita Parsad-Moore and Vincent Moore — were charged with reckless endangerment and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Parsad-Moore was also charged with manslaughter.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

QUEENS — Police have arrested the grandparents of a 3-year-old Richmond Hill boy who died last year from brain injuries, after authorities determined that they waited too long to seek medical attention, officials said Wednesday.

Romeo Lewis died Aug. 2, 2016 at Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park, where he was transported on July 28, 2016, after family members originally brought him to Jamaica Hospital, near his home in Richmond Hill.

In June, the medical examiner's office determined that Romeo died of complications from blunt force head trauma and ruled his death a homicide

On Tuesday, police arrested the boy’s grandmother Sita Parsad-Moore, 42, and his step grandfather Vincent Moore, 40, with whom Romeo lived, and charged them with reckless endangerment and acting in a manner injurious to a child.

Additionally, Parsad-Moore was also charged with manslaughter.

The grandmother told police that the boy fell down the stairs the day before he was taken to the hospital, officials said.

The couple's lawyer Victor Knapp, said that they "monitored" the child after the fall, and "checked up to see that he wouldn't lose consciousness." 

But, according to the criminal complaint, they waited a day before seeking medical attention, which possibly led to the child's death. It was also unclear what actually caused Romeo's injuries, according to the complaint.

"This is going to be the focus of the case, to what the grandparents knew or should have done, did they act reckless, or grossly reckless," Knapp noted.

He also said that the grandmother got charged with manslaughter "because she had a little bit more contact with the child than the grandfather [who] went to work the following day." 

"The allegations are she probably had a little bit more contact, a little bit more feedback or information," he said.

Knapp also noted that the grandparents had custody of the child because of "deficiencies" with the boy's mother.

Sources also said that the family had a history with the city's Administration for Children's Services, but details were not immediately available.

“We are deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy, and we continue to investigate along with NYPD," a spokesman for the ACS said. 

Both suspects were arraigned Wednesday. Bail was set at $50,000 for Parsad-Moore and $25,000 for Moore, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office. They are due back in court on Sept. 22.

Correction: This article previously stated that Romeo Lewis died Dec. 22, 2016 based on information provided by the NYPD.