A 4-year-old girl was found alone in a New York City apartment, where she had reportedly been living alongside the bodies of her dead mom and brother for at least two weeks.
According to a report from the New York Postthe girl, Promise Cotton, was rescued from the Bronx apartment — located on East 231st Street — on Friday, April 18, after her concerned grandfather, Hubert Cotton, sent another family member to investigate the situation.
Hubert, 71, reportedly sent his eldest granddaughter to see what was wrong, and she then found Promise and the bodies, the outlet reported. Promise survived by “feeding herself with chocolate,” her grandfather said.
After finding the 4-year-old alone and starving on her mom’s bed, the unnamed relative then grabbed her and fled the building before alerting the police, according to the Post.
Police responded to the 911 call just before 8:30 p.m. local time and, upon arrival, found a woman, 38, and a male child, 8, “unconscious and unresponsive, inside the location,” the New York Police Department (NYPD) told PEOPLE in a statement. The individuals were pronounced dead at the scene.
“The identity of the deceased is pending proper family notification,” the NYPD added. The Post, meanwhile, identified them as Promise’s mother, Lisa Cotton, and older brother, Nazir Millien.
After she was taken from the premises on April 18, Promise was transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation, the NYPD said.
One of the family’s neighbors, Sabrina Coleson, told the Post that the mother and son were dead for at least two weeks before their bodies were discovered.
Neighbors also informed the outlet that both police and child services — in N.Y.C., the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) — had visited the apartment earlier in the week, while Promise was trapped inside, but left without entering the apartment.
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ACS employees “were here, but they didn’t do s—,” Coleson told the Post. “They were here ringing people’s bells the day before the wellness check.”
When reached on Sunday, April 20, a spokesperson for the ACS declined to comment on specifics of the case, but provided a statement: “The safety and well-being of New York City’s children is our top priority. We are investigating this tragedy with the NYPD.”
The causes of death have not yet been determined, though sources told the Post that police believe Lisa may have died from cardiac arrest, while Nazir — who was born prematurely and used a feeding tube — may have starved to death.
There have been no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing, the NYPD said.
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