A horrifying case of child abuse in a Queens shelter ended in tragedy Wednesday night, when a 2-year-old boy succumbed to devastating injuries after days on life support.
According to the New York Post, the child, identified by his mother as Maliek, died at a hospital late Wednesday, just hours after his father was arraigned on attempted murder and assault charges tied to the alleged beating that left the toddler in a coma.
His mother, Cyndy Williams, confirmed his death in a brief, anguished social media post.
“My baby is gone,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “2/4/2026 10:26 p.m. I have nothing else to say. I’m done.”
Law enforcement sources confirmed Maliek’s death, which prosecutors had warned would trigger more severe criminal charges against his father, 30-year-old Dayvon Morrison.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office reiterated that promise following the child’s death.
“Reiterating what was said in court yesterday by ADA Caitlyn Muldoon that if the child succumbed, we intend to submit upgraded charges,” a spokesperson said in an email.
Authorities say the alleged abuse occurred late Friday at a Queens shelter where Morrison and his son were staying.
Prosecutors told the court that Maliek was badly injured when he woke up Saturday morning with his father, showing visible signs of severe trauma.
Instead of seeking emergency medical care, Morrison allegedly placed the toddler in a stroller and traveled around Queens and East Harlem for several days, prosecutors said.
The child was eventually brought to his mother’s apartment in East Harlem, where a witness became alarmed by Maliek’s condition and called 911. Emergency responders rushed the boy to Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Morrison was arrested early Monday and allegedly admitted to police that he could not remember whether he had beaten his son because he had been intoxicated.
“If you’re gonna put me in cuffs, that’s fine,” Morrison allegedly told officers. “I was drunk the other night.”
During Morrison’s arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Caitlyn Muldoon laid out the extent of the child’s injuries, describing them as catastrophic.
She said Maliek suffered “a blown right pupil, a laceration to his liver, pelvic fracture,” along with “multiple brain bleeds,” severe brain swelling, and damage to his brain stem.
The toddler was placed on a ventilator and remained in critical condition for days. Prosecutors said he was “listed in likely-to-die condition” at the time of the arraignment.
Morrison was initially charged with attempted murder and assault. With Maliek’s death, prosecutors are expected to pursue upgraded charges as the case moves forward.
The tragedy has sparked renewed outrage over child safety in the shelter system and left a grieving family mourning the loss of a life cut brutally short.
