Thought to have survived on chocolate, a four-year-old girl was found alive in a New York apartment among the remains of her mother and elder brother. Friday following the landlord’s alerting authorities about worries regarding the family’s welfare revealed the sad scenario.
After the landlord contacted Lisa’s father, Hubert Cotton, 71, the 38-year-old mother of the daughter and her eight-year-old brother, Nazir Millien, were discovered unresponsive. For some days Hubert had been attempting without luck to get in touch with his daughter. He told the New York Post, “I figured she didn’t answer me since she didn’t want to talk.”
Hubert sent Lisa’s eldest daughter to see them worried about their safety. She entered the flat and found Nazir slumped over in his chair, disabled from birth prematurely and needing a feeding tube.
“When she came in, [Nazir] was slumped over,” Hubert said, outlining the scenario. Authorities are trying to put the events surrounding this sad occurrence together as the enquiry is still under progress.
Searching for Lisa, a young woman came into four-year-old Promise laying on her mother’s bed, “feeding herself with chocolate.” Hubert claims the woman grabbed the child right away and phoned the cops. She stated witnessing “bugs crawling” on Nazir’s body, according the 911 call transcript.
Authorities don’t know Lisa’s and her son’s death times until their discovery. For weeks before, neighbours had been complaining about a terrible smell, likening it to “death.”
After receiving an anonymous tip, officers conducted a welfare check on Tuesday; but, nobody opened the door at the East 231st Street residence. Officers did not force entry even though neighbours claimed they had not seen Lisa or her children in two weeks since they did not hear any sounds or smell anything peculiar.
One neighbour said, “The cops stated they will be back in a few days. One of the social workers indicated was seeking a court order to have the door busted in.”
As authorities probe the sad events, this occurrence emphasises continuous issues concerning safety and well-being in the society.
For several days before to a sad discovery, neighbours claimed hearing “screaming” from an apartment. Authorities discovered two bodies identifiable as Lisa and her son Nazir that lacked obvious damage. Police think Lisa, an asthma sufferer, would have died from cardiac arrest, leaving her small son hungry.
By swallowing chocolate discovered in the house, Lisa’s daughter Promise made a lucky turn-around. She is in stable condition now after being brought to a nearby hospital. Now looking for Promise in his Bronx apartment is family friend Hubert. Over Nazir’s death, he expressed great grief, saying, “He was so small. I cupped him in my palm. As a bird would do”.
After spending days with the bodies of her mother and brother, Hubert worries about the possible emotional toll Promise would suffer. She hasn’t talked much, but he remarked that she frequently stares at him with an expression that points to awareness of the catastrophe.
Originally from St. Kitts, Hubert said Lisa had struggled with mental health issues and might have suffered with bipolar illness. Declaring his grief at the idea of planning funerals for Lisa and Nazir, he said, “How am I going to acquire the money? How can we bury both of them?
Living above Lisa, Eric Perez, a neighbour, attacked the landlord for not doing wellness inspections despite several resident complaints. “It just smells like rat-infested… the exterminator said the same thing – the smell is similar to rats and even death,” he claimed.
Authorities said Lisa’s arrest in June 2021 for child abandonment resulted in a pending case with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Reports revealed unusual behaviour including public wig burning and swinging her daughter in a stroller. Lisa allegedly discovered walking away from her child when police arrived at that incident. Although this case has been sealed, an ACS official verified that it is currently being investigated.
