A Queens mother has been arrested for murdering her 15-month-old son after the baby was found dying in the family’s bathroom alongside the mother, who had slit her wrists in a suicide attempt, police said Tuesday.
Nicole Boodhai, 28, is charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child. An initial autopsy conducted by the city Medical Examiner was inconclusive, with the cause and manner of death pending further study.
But NYPD sources say Boodhai was charged with murder based on forensic evidence and statements she made.
She and her son, little Charlie Ramraykha, were found inside the bloody bathroom when police were called to the family’s South Jamaica home on 157th St. near 109th Ave. Boodhai was living at a separate address from the rest of the family a few blocks away, according to cops.
Medics rushed mother and son to Jamaica Hospital, but little Charlie could not be saved. His mother is recovering as she faces charges.
The child’s aunt shared her anguish over his tragic death in an online post.
“Today I lost my nephew,” Natasha Ramraykha wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “Gone too soon Charlie. Auntie misses you so much.”
She said his family will hold a wake for “Baby Charlie” next Monday, followed by a cremation next Tuesday.
Police said the mother used a box cutter to slit her wrists. The baby showed no obvious signs of trauma when he was discovered, police said.
The incident unsettled neighbors, including Fateema Masuma, 20, who lives two doors away. Masuma said Charlie lived with his father and sister in addition to his mother, who hails from Guyana.
“I heard the man screaming really loud and I heard a child scream-cry really loud, too,” she said. “I’ve never heard someone scream like that. It was scary.”
Boodhai’s arraignment was pending in Queens Criminal Court Tuesday.
