A New Hampshire boy has died after suffering extensive injuries at a Manchester home, which authorities are calling “suspicious.”
7-year-old Jaevion Riley was found unconscious and not breathing at an apartment on Jan. 17, multiple outlets report. He had allegedly suffered severe burns on more than 15 to 20 percent of his body and was transported to a local hospital in Boston.
He succumbed to his injuries Tuesday. An autopsy is pending, according to a statement from the local Attorney General and the Manchester Police Department.
Last week, the child’s father, Murtadah Mohammad, was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a child.
“It is absolutely gruesome, it is horrific, and it is sickening to look at. It makes me physically ill looking at my own son because of what this man did to him,” Jaevion’s mother, Rainah Riley, told NBC 10 Boston before the child died.
“It looks as if it’s from boiling water or oil, or … maybe set on fire,” Riley said, per NBC 10. “This man was trying to kill my child,” she alleged.
The boy’s mom also said she’d tried to get help for him months ago, but nothing was done. After Mohammad, 25, got split custody of Jaevion, she began noticing signs of abuse, she alleged to NBC 10.
“I called for wellness checks on him when he was with him, for the bruising, and nobody did anything,” Riley claimed to the news outlet. “The system has failed not only my child, but so many children. And something needs to be done, because this isn’t OK. It’s not. Like, when is enough enough?”
Court documents reviewed by NBC 10 and the New Hampshire Union Leader say Mohammad told authorities he’d put a pot of water on the stove to make food, then got in the shower. Thus, he claimed he hadn’t seen what happened to his son on the day of the incident.
But police noted many inconsistencies in his story, and Mohammad later allegedly told police he’d used hot water and electrical cords to discipline his son for lying, the court documents reportedly state.
A neighbor of the family, Amani Lameldin, told WMUR 9 Jaevion had been “a very good boy and kind,” as well as “very quiet, respectful.” She continued, “I can’t believe that was going on to him.”
In a statement, Attorney General John M. Formella and Manchester Police Chief Allen D. Aldenberg said “an investigation is ongoing” into Jaevion’s death.
“The circumstances surrounding the child’s death are being actively investigated while the cause and manner of death is under investigation,” their statement continued.
Mohammad has been appointed a public defender, and it’s unclear if he has submitted a plea in the charges against him.
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