A toddler has been slapping her father to verify if he's alive after she was reportedly left for 5 days along with her lifeless mom's physique in a homeless shelter in New York Metropolis.
Employees on the East River Household Middle in July discovered the mother, Shelbi Westlake, lifeless beneath a mattress close to her child, Lyric Laboy, the New York Submit reported. Town's Medical Examiner's workplace mentioned that Westlake died of an accident overdose.
The toddler's father, Quraan Laboy, plans to sue the town and the Division of Homeless Providers for $5 million in damages over the abandonment of his daughter, who was 15 months previous when discovered close to her lifeless mother.
The daddy filed a petition with Manhattan Supreme Courtroom, claiming that his daughter was coated in "human feces" and severely dehydrated when she was discovered.
The toddler has been "routinely slapping her dad whereas he is sleeping," mentioned Seth Harris, one among Laboy's attorneys, in keeping with the publication.
She misplaced seven kilos on the time of the incident, and she or he has been affected by misery ever since, in keeping with her dad.
"I do not know the way lengthy she's going to endure with this. She has numerous separation anxiousness," Laboy mentioned of his daughter, in keeping with the Submit.
The toddler and her mother had spent round three to 4 months on the homeless shelter, in keeping with Harris, who mentioned it is "wonderful" that the child is alive. Westlake's physique was not found till a resident reported a "foul odor."
Allison Keenan, one other lawyer representing Laboy, mentioned that Westlake final signed in on the shelter on July 19, six days earlier than her corpse was found.
"Permitting an toddler to stay along with her lifeless mom for 5 days unnoticed not solely highlights the indifference and lack of humanity proven to these most in want however reveals full malfeasance by the Metropolis of New York and Division of Homeless Providers," Keenan mentioned, in keeping with the Submit.
Laboy mentioned his daughter nonetheless cries out for her mother almost each night time regardless of partially recovering and regaining the burden she misplaced in the course of the incident. He mentioned that she was discovered on the homeless shelter with a "horrific" diaper rash that's nonetheless therapeutic.
"She all the time wakes up in the midst of the night time, she's kicking, she's combating, saying, 'Mommy,' I take a look at her and I simply begin tearing up generally," he mentioned.
Laboy now could be dedicating his time to taking good care of his daughter after leaving his job on the New York Metropolis Housing Authority, in keeping with the information outlet.
"I needed to drop every part. She's my primary precedence proper now," he mentioned. "My daughter's gotta cope with this mentally for the remainder of her life."
Newsweek contacted Laboy's attorneys and the Division of Homeless Providers for feedback.
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