Families mourning the loss of children under the supervision of New York City’s child welfare agency say a recent critical city report confirms their worst fears: the system remains unchanged.
A blistering investigation by the Department of Investigation has uncovered that the Administration for Children’s Services has repeatedly obstructed efforts to inspect cases of abuse and fatalities involving children under its care. According to victims’ families, this resistance only paves the way for further tragedies.
“When a child dies, accountability is crucial,” expressed Nyisha Ragsdale, whose four-year-old nephew, Jahmeik Moldin, was discovered starved to death in his Harlem home in 2024.
The boy’s mother, Nytavia Ragsdale, is currently facing charges of murder and manslaughter.
“My sister had prior incidents,” Nyisha explained to The Post. “They were reported. It’s inconceivable to me that she had cases for several years, and my nephew’s death wasn’t a sudden occurrence—it didn’t happen overnight or within weeks or months.”
“This situation must have been ongoing for some time, and the Department of Investigation should have comprehensive access to all related information,” she added.
The DOI report, released May 5, found ACS to be one of the Big Apple’s cagiest agencies.
According to the investigation, ACS barred DOI from reviewing files on 17 of 18 child fatalities that occurred under the agency’s recent oversight.
In 2024, ACS denied access to 13 of 16 such child fatalities and withheld 19 out of 25 files in cases involving children’s deaths in 2023, according to the DOI report.
It has also denied access to records of alleged sexual misconduct.
“When a New York City child dies or suffers severe injury due to neglect or abuse, it’s not only a tragedy,” the report said. “It’s a failure that should prompt city government to ask where we went wrong and what we can do better.”
The DOI report was released exactly one year after The Post reported on more than a half-dozen children who died under ACS supervision because of chronic neglect and abuse.
In little Jahmeik’s case, his mother and dad, Laron Modlin, had been the subject of at least four ACS neglect reports since 2019, before the boy starved to death Oct. 13, 2024.
The fully stocked fridge in the family’s home was turned to the wall so the tot couldn’t get to the food.
In another tragic case, De’Neil Timberlake, 5, overdosed on methadone in the Bronx on July 16, 2025, while his father, Darrell Timberlake, was under ACS investigation and had previously been busted and charged with acting in a matter injurious to a child.
“There should be transparency across the board,” said De’Neil’s grandfather, Joseph James. “That should be the law. As it stands right now, it makes no sense. It’s wrong.
“My grandson died,” he said. “It was a slip through the cracks.”
Julius Batties, whose 7-year-old daughter, Julissia, was beaten to death by her mother in 2021 after ACS returned the girl to her troubled mom’s Bronx apartment, said all of the agency’s records should be made public.
“Release everything,” he said. “I don’t care if some calls and makes a call and it’s fake. To me, it looks like [ACS officials] are hiding something when they hold back on information.
“That’s why the system is so bad today,” he said.
In another case, Nazir Millien, a disabled 8-year-old boy, died next to his troubled mom inside their Bronx apartment — and lay decomposing in the home while the boy’s 4-year-old sister survived on scraps.
NYPD cops and ACS workers had both knocked on the door but apparently didn’t get an answer and walked away from the scene of the horror.
“What matters the most are the children,” Nazir’s grandfather, Hubert Cotton, told The Post. “Their interest should be first, above everything.”
Cotton said all relevant city agencies have to be part of the solution.
“More heads together are better, so they should all sit together and work … out what to do to make it better,” he said. “If they want to get better, everybody must be looking at the same thing.
“ACS should have a seat at the table, too, because at the end of the day, they are responsible.”
Officials at ACS have repeatedly cited their agency’s commitment to youngsters under their supervision but noted they also have a mandate to protect the identities of children and families in their care.
“ACS appreciates the important oversight role of the Department of Investigation and we remain committed to holding individuals accountable in any instance of potential employee misconduct,” a rep for the agency said in a statement Sunday.
“ACS also remains committed to transparency and accountability in our operations, while safeguarding the confidentiality of the children, youth and families who we serve,” the representative said.
Under state social service law, information about those families is confidential.
