Photo Courtesy of Google
2: On Oct. 30, 2020, emergency medical technicians and police responded to a 911 call and found the baby unresponsive and without a pulse in their St. Albans home.
By Forum Staff
A St. Albans woman has been indicted by a borough grand jury for allegedly starving her infant child to death in October 2020, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Carla Garriques, 28, has been arraigned on a three-count indictment charging her with manslaughter in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child. She was remanded and ordered her to return to court on Aug. 2.
According to the charges, the baby boy named Kemari was born in March 2020 and weighed 5 pounds and 11 ounces. Living in Florida, at 5 and 6 weeks old, the newborn was treated twice at a hospital in Broward County. At the last visit, he weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was thriving. However, at 2 months, Garriques is alleged to have switched the baby’s diet from breast milk and formula to blended fruits, vegetables and nuts.
According to the charges, the mother and child moved to Queens in early October 2020, and between 2 and 6 months of age the baby had only gained 2 pounds. On Oct. 30, 2020, at approximately
Photo Courtesy of NYPD
Carla Garriques
9:50 p.m., emergency medical technicians and police responded to a 911 call and found the baby unresponsive and without a pulse. He was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at
Roughly 10:35 p.m. At that time, little Kemari weighed just 9 pounds and 5 ounces. A typical weight for a 7- to 8-month-old is 17 to 22 pounds.
An autopsy performed on the victim showed severe malnutrition, dehydration, a loss of muscle mass and bone demineralization. The little boy’s body also had an enlarged liver, an extensive kidney infection and sepsis. Medical evidence showed that the baby had allegedly endured prolonged malnutrition.
“This baby was delivered at full term and born healthy. Tragically, during seven short months of life he suffered with too little food and barely any medical care. He died underweight with loss of muscle, bone and other maladies,” Katz said. “As alleged, this defendant—the infant’s mother—was the sole caregiver who neglected medical attention and failed to provide basic sustenance for life to this helpless victim.”
If convicted, Garriques faces up to 25 years in prison.
