1-Month-Old Baby’s Starvation Death Ruled a Homicide by N.Y. Medical Examiner
Joseph Heben Jr. was unconscious and unresponsive when he was taken to a local hospital in July
Joseph Heben Jr. was unconscious and unresponsive when he was taken to a local hospital in July getty baby — stock image:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/baby-in-hospital053124-64d40b47cb65459a91e9e71c801bb3c6.jpg "Baby in hospital")
The death of a 1-month-old baby has been reclassified as a homicide by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office.
On July 20, a Staten Island infant, who has since been identified as Joseph Heben Jr., was taken to an area hospital due to severe malnutrition, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, Nov. 6, citing police reports.
Related: Family Vlogger Accused of Child Abuse After Malnourished Child Allegedly Asks Neighbor for Help
It was not immediately made public who transported the baby to Staten Island University Hospital, but he was unconscious and unresponsive at the time — leading hospital staff to contact authorities at approximately 7 a.m. google maps Staten Island University Hospital
“As soon as this family came to our attention this summer,” New York’s Administration for Children’s Services began working with police to conduct an investigation, Stephanie Gendell, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in a statement.
Authorities have not disclosed whether Joseph's parents or family members were directly involved in his death.
PEOPLE reached out to NYPD for comment.
Due to state laws, Gendell was also unable to confirm if the victim’s relatives had a history with New York’s Administration for Children’s Services, according to the Times.
“A helpless child. An innocent child, like, really? Come on. It’s terrible,” a man who worked near the apartment complex in the Tottenville area where the 1-month-old lived told the New York Daily News. Getty newborn baby — stock image
The man, who did not give the Daily News his name, told the outlet that Joseph had an older sister who seemed well cared for.
“Whenever I saw her with her daughter … very nice, and the kid was always smiling,” he said of the mother and her young children. “I don’t know the inner workings of their family or whatever they’re doing in their abode, but they seem to be normal people.”
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"This neighborhood is safe," Tham Kshetry, a father of two children who works at the deli below Joseph's apartment, told the Times. "When I heard what happened upstairs, I felt bad.”
“This is shocking,” Enrique Vargas, who runs a nearby barber shop, told the Times. “I’m a father of three. This hits hard.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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