Inset: Timothy Green (Center for Disability Rights). Background: The apartment building where Green’s mother allegedly starved him to death (Google Maps).
A New York mother and her boyfriend are accused of killing her developmentally disabled son after allegedly restraining him with handcuffs and home gym equipment in their apartment and starving him to death. Timothy Green was 33.
Andrea Livers, 58, and Lancysa Harris, 42, were arrested and each charged with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in connection with Green’s death, authorities announced.
The investigation began Feb. 17, when Rochester police officers were dispatched to an apartment on St. Paul Street after a 911 caller reported finding an unresponsive man.
First responders found Green naked on the floor, with bruises around his wrists and ankles. He weighed approximately 88 pounds and appeared severely malnourished. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, Rochester police Captain Frank Umbrino said during a Thursday news conference.
Livers and Harris had placed the 911 call, but investigators said the information they provided “made no sense.” The pair later declined to participate in additional interviews.
An initial autopsy could not determine Green’s cause of death. Months later, however, the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office classified the death as a homicide, concluding that Green died from “severe dehydration and failure to thrive in a setting of probable restraint.”
A search of the apartment uncovered handcuffs, barbells and other weights, along with what police called “an unusual amount of cleaning supplies.” Investigators said they found no clothing, bedding or other personal belongings that appeared to be Green’s, even though he was reportedly living in the apartment.
Surveillance video reviewed by police from the 45 days leading up to Green’s death showed no indication that he entered or left the apartment. The only people seen coming and going were Livers and Harris.
Detectives believe Green died sometime between Jan. 19 and Feb. 17.
The investigation also focused on Green’s government benefits. Harris had been designated to receive Green’s Social Security and SNAP benefits, which he qualified for because of his developmental disabilities. Around the same period, Green stopped showing up for medical appointments and other scheduled activities.
Police allege that SNAP benefits intended for Green were instead “used by Livers and Harris for their own benefit and not to feed him.” Federal authorities are investigating those allegations, and the two defendants could face additional charges.
Cellphone evidence further supported the medical examiner’s conclusion that Green was likely restrained. Police allege he was held with handcuffs and home gym weights, physically and mentally abused, and denied sufficient food.
Umbrino described the alleged abuse during the news conference:
“How Timothy died is beyond disturbing, disgusting, and unfathomable to any normal person,” he said. “The evidence we gathered indicates that Timothy was physically restrained, to include with handcuffs and home gym weights. In addition to the physical and mental abuse, there was malnourishment, basically meaning they starved him to death.”
Green was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he spent most of his life with his father and stepmother. He was physically capable of caring for himself, but his developmental disabilities meant he relied on others for more complex aspects of daily living.
Green’s father, who had full custody, died in 2023. Green then moved to Rochester to reconnect with Livers, his biological mother. Police said Livers had lost custody when Green was “very young” because of “abuse-related issues.”
Livers and Harris are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 23.
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