Death of Abused Harlem 6-Year-Old Ruled a Homicide: Medical Examiner

HARLEM, NY — The death of 6-year-old Harlem boy Zymere Perkins has been ruled a homicide by the city Medical Examiner, police told Patch.

The ruling was made nearly a month after Perkins' mother, Geraldine Perkins, and her boyfriend Rysheim Smith were arrested and charged for the boy's death. Police investigations revealed that Perkins was violently abused by Smith, and occasionally by his mother, for months before his death.

Perkins was rushed to Mount Sinai Saint Luke's Hospital by his mother on Sept. 26 suffering from bruises to his body and a contusion on his head, police told Patch. Perkins was pronounced dead the same day, police said.

The boy's mother told police that her live-in boyfriend Smith hit the boy with his hands and with a wooden broom stick the day of his death, according to a criminal complaint. The mother also told police that Smith had hung the boy from the back of their apartment's bathroom door by his shirt and had seen his body "go limp," according to the complaint.

Smith had become upset when he found out the boy had defecated in the apartment's living room, according to the criminal complaint.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Commissioner Gladys Carrión pledged to reform ACS following the revelation that the agency had investigated Perkins' household but failed to prevent his death.

Earlier this month four ACS officials were suspended in the midst of an internal investigation of the agency.

Two managers from the ACS Child Protective Division – one assistant commissioner and one borough commissioner — and two managers from the General Counsel's Division — one director and one assistant director — were placed on 30-day suspensions without pay as of Oct. 11, an ACS spokesperson told Patch.

The four suspensions increased the tally of ACS workers facing punishment for the mishandling of the Zymere Perkins case to nine. In an Oct. 5 press conference Carrión said that five child protective staff one manager, two supervisors and two caseworkers who worked directly on the Perkins case were placed on modified service.

"I want to make this plain — anyone on my staff who failed their duty to protect this child will have to answer to me," Carrión said during the Oct. 5 press conference. "I will hold them personally responsible."

Photo: Screenshot of Oct. 5 press conference via mayor's office