The medical examiner was unable to determine whether a 5-year-old child's death was an accident or murder. Monique, known as Monet, Fulgham had been found in her family's Bronx apartment closet Sunday afternoon, strangled by a jump rope. Newsday says that one end of the rope was "secured to the top of a closet door." It does not seem that her grandmother, who found her, or her mother were present during her death. more ›

The tragic death of two year old Anthony Pena, who suffocated in a plastic storage container in his Bronx home, was ruled an accident by the ME's office. more ›

Yesterday morning, Bronx couple Rosa Lopez and Francisco Pena realized their 2 year old son Anthony was missing when they were getting their children ready for school. After searching for him, they found him dead, in a plastic container. It turns out his 6 year old brother Alexis had put Anthony in a Rubbermaid storage bin - the boys and their 4 year old sister were playing a game of hide and seek after their parents put them to bed. The siblings forgot about him and went to bed, leaving Anthony to suffocate. more ›

involved with the family of now brain-damaged 4 month old Preston Hertzog. Authorities suspect Preston is the victim of shaken baby syndrome; the baby remains in a hospital, being kept alive by a respirator. In 2000, Antonio Patterson and Tamirra Hertzog's 2 month old baby Mia died; the ACS put their other children into temporary foster care during the investigation which found that Mia died of blunt force trauma. Even though her skull was cracked in three places and her death ruled a homicide, there was not enough evidence to charge Patterson and Hertzog. more ›

Maria Gonzalez, the grandmother of Nixzmary Brown, the Brooklyn girl's who died under the care - and abuse - of her parents, will sue the city over its "carelessness, recklessness, gross negligence, wanton disregard and willful misconduct." The Administration for Children's Services were alerted to signs of abuse by Brown's teachers, but did act as urgently as they should have. The Daily News says Gonzalez's planned $150 million is but one of three lawsuits so far - Brown's biological father plans to sue, as well as one of Brown's sibling's father. The last we heard, Gonzalez was planning on raising her daughter, Nixzliaz Santiago's other children. Santiago's husband, Cesar Rodriguez, is blamed for dealing Brown the fatal blows; both Santiago and Rodriguez were indicted in Brown's murder. more ›

An impish 4 year old managed to sneak out of his apartment at 2Am last night because he wanted to find his mommy. Issnando Cocco was found on West 158th Street and Broadway by livery cab drivers who stopped him from heading to the subway. They took him back to their dispatching office and one driver said, "At first I thought it was a dwarf because no kid is supposed to be out at that time by himself." His mother, Isadora Cocco, realized he was missing when she returned home from a 4PM-7AM shift at Montefiore Hospital; her father, who watches him during the night, had fallen asleep after his long day as a doorman. Cocco reported him missing immediately, only for the police to happily tell her Issnando was all right. The Administration for Children's Services won't be pressing charges, as it seems that Issnando was simply clear enough to undo the deadbolt on the apartment's door and he just really wanted to see his mom (plus he was smart enough to dress warmly, the Daily News says he was wearing " two shirts, a sweater, a pair of pants over his pajama bottoms, socks, sneakers and his coat"). Isadora Cocco told the Post, "There has to be a better support system. I work long hours at the hospital, but they only provide day care during business hours. There's no outlet for the people who work overnight." Here, here - the federal, state and local governments don't do much by way of thinking about child care for working families. more ›

- Security camera's that turn and focus when they hear gunshots are coming soon. more ›

The sad story of Nixzmary Brown shows no signs of stopping - nor should it - as more and more details emerge about the circumstances of the 7 year old's death. The Administration for Children's Services caseworker assigned to Brown apparently tried to visit the home many times, only to be turned away by the parents and ended up visiting the day Brown died. ACS supervisor, Roger Moore told the Daily News that the agency was focusing on the death of Dahquay Gillians, a toddler who died at his home and whose death sparked questions about ACS. There are many questions about whether or not ACS handled complaints related to Brown correctly, given the a May 2005 complaint her school made about suspicions she was being abused at home. Today, the Daily News interviews the neighbor who saw Brown's stepfather and mother trying to save the girl - and making excuses about how she died. Brown's stepfather and mother remain in police custody for her murder. more ›

A seven year old girl was found dead in her Bedford Stuyvesant apartment, beaten to death. Police discovered horrifying details of Nixzmary Brown's short life: A chair with ropes where she was bound, a cat litter box she was forced to use. A detective said, "When all the facts come out on this, it's going to be as bad as Lisa Steinberg." Her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, was charged with second degree murder and sexual abuse, and her mother, Nixzaliz Santiago, was charged with manslaughter; Rodriguez reportedly would beat Nixzmary and isolate her from the other children in the family. She was also found weighing 36 pounds - according to weight charts, 7 year olds at the 50th percentile are around 50-55 pounds. more ›

• A soldier back from Iraq was shot while in Brooklyn
• The Administration for Children's Services says it will reform after the two deaths of children returned to homes
• Some estimated costs for World Trade Center projects: The WTC Memorial and museum will cost $490 million, which is somehow in line with the LMDC's expectations A state committee thinks the judge who basically let a suspect get away should be dismissed

While it's a relief to have the four year old abandoned on a Queens street identified (her name is Valerie Lozado), the other news about where her mother was has met everyone's worst expectations: Monica Lozado-Rivaineira was killed by her boyfriend, Cesar Ascarrunz, who confessed the crime to the police. Ascarrunz says that he had "objected to her staying out all night and to the manner in which she was raising her daughter." On September 24, Lozado-Rivaineiria attacked him with a knife in their Forest Park, Queens apartment, and he tried to defend himself with a pillow, and then she went unconscious (reports say that authorities believe he strangled Lozado-Rivaineira). Ascarrunz said he slit her throat to "create an airway"; with Lozado-Rivaineiria dead, put her body in a trash bag outside the apartment. He dropped off Valery in another Queens neighborhood to be found by strangers, and then dumped the body in another neighborhood two days later. Ascarrunz, an immigrant who had been a doctor in Bolivia but was a porter in the U.S., was arraigned on various charges of murder and child endangerment. more ›