Mother and grandmother accused of starving, neglecting nonverbal teen found weighing 59 pounds
08/04/2026 12:31 pm PDT
NEW YORK CITY (TCN) -- A mother and grandmother have been arrested and charged with murder and assault in connection with the neglect- and malnourishment-related death of a 16-year-old boy.
According to court records obtained by WPIX, Adonis Jarvis and his twin brother, whose name has not been released, were found on March 16 covered in flies and bedsores. Adonis Jarvis weighed 59 pounds, and his brother weighed 60 pounds, according to court records. Both boys were nonverbal and had autism. Neither had been to a doctor since 2024, and Adonis Jarvis’ brother had lost 20 pounds since that visit.
Adonis Jarvis was pronounced dead at the hospital. His death was ruled a homicide caused by chronic neglect, dehydration, and starvation, according to WPIX. His twin survived.
The boy’s grandmother Denise Jarvis, 62, and his mother, Geneva Jarvis, 36, were arrested July 30 and charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, and endangering the welfare of a disabled person, WPIX reports. Spectrum News 1 reports they pleaded not guilty at their arraignment.
A neighbor told Spectrum News 1 that she had not seen the twins in approximately three years, but they appeared normal and were with their mother and grandmother the last time she saw them. NBC New York reports that both brothers had a history of seizures in addition to autism.
The apartment where the twins lived with their mother and grandmother was allegedly filled with debris and trash, and a mattress in one of the bedrooms was filthy and decaying, the New York Post reports.
According to the building superintendent, “It’s filled with garbage and clothes all over the place. I told her I wanted to go in the apartment to fix it; she kept saying, ‘OK, tomorrow,’ and she never let us in,” WABC reports.
The super, referred to by the outlet as Dennis, went on to tell WABC that on the night Adonis Jarvis was taken to the hospital, his mother and grandmother allegedly brought him into the hallway to meet the paramedics when the ambulance arrived.
According to Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, “These two women failed in their duty and responsibility to care for these boys,” WPUX reports. Both Denise and Geneva Jarvis are being held without bail and are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 27.
According to a neighbor, Spectrum News 1 reports the surviving twin is doing well.
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