Bronx Woman Charged With Murder in Death of Her 6-Year-Old Daughter
The New York Times
Lynija Eason Kumar also faces manslaughter charges in the killing of Jalayah Eason, who was found bruised and unconscious in her family’s apartment last May.
A Bronx woman has been charged with murder in the death of her 6-year-old daughter, who was found bruised and unconscious at her family’s Bronx apartment last year, law enforcement authorities said.
The woman, Lynija Eason Kumar, 27, was also charged with two counts of manslaughter in the death of the girl, Jalayah Eason, who had bruises on her wrists and torso when police officers arrived at her home on May 26, 2023, officials said.
The cause of death was unclear at the time, but the New York City medical examiner’s office classified it as a homicide in February. Jalayah died as a result of blunt-force injuries, malnourishment and positional asphyxia, a spokeswoman for the office said on Friday.
Ms. Eason Kumar pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment on Friday in Bronx Criminal Court and was ordered held without bail. A lawyer for Ms. Eason Kumar did not respond to a request for comment.
Jalayah died after Ms. Eason Kumar tied the girl’s hands and feet together, hung her in a closet and struck her repeatedly with a hard object, according to court documents. When police officers found Jalayah, her body was bruised and scarred, there were ligature marks on her wrists, the documents say.
At the time of her daughter’s death, Ms. Eason Kumar was charged with endangering the welfare of her other children, an 8-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, and the city’s Administration for Children’s Services took custody of the two.
