The death of a one-month-old baby has been recategorized as homicide by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office.
On July 20, a Staten Island infant, Joseph Heben Jr., was sent to an area hospital for acute malnutrition, according to the New York Times, citing police reports.
It was not immediately clear who carried the newborn to Staten Island University medical, but he was unconscious and unresponsive at the time, prompting medical officials to alert authorities at around 7 a.m., according to an NYPD statement shared with PEOPLE.
“As soon as this family came to our attention this summer,” New York’s Administration for Children’s Services began cooperating with police to launch an investigation, according to Stephanie Gendell, an agency spokesperson.
Authorities haven’t said whether Joseph’s parents or family members were directly involved in his killing.
According to the Times, Gendell was unable to determine whether the victim’s relatives had a history with New York’s Administration for Children’s Services due to state regulations.
“A helpless child.” An innocent child? Really? Come on. “It’s terrible,” a man who works near the Tottenville apartment building where the 1-month-old lives told the New York Daily News.
The individual, who did not provide his name to the Daily News, informed the publication that Joseph had an older sister who appeared well-cared for.
“When I saw her with her daughter… He described the mother and her small children as quite polite, with the child usually smiling. “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.”
“This neighborhood is safe,” Tham Kshetry, a father of two 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 owns a nearby barbershop, told the Times. “I am a father of three. This hits hard.”
The NYPD said the inquiry is ongoing.