3-year-old boy's death ruled a homicide, mother looking for answers

MOUNT EDEN (WABC) -- The death of a 3-year-old boy in the Bronx has been ruled a homicide.

The boy was caught in the middle of dispute between his mother and father, but died in the custody of his grandmother.

His body was covered in bruises; we warn you the details of this story can be disturbing.

"My life was about my kids, the only thing I knew how to do well was being a mom and love my kids," said Ashley Ramirez, the victim's mother.

It is grief so deep, so dark that Ashley Ramirez cannot find its end. She pleads for answers, has begged for answers about what happened to her beautiful son, but no one will tell her.

"They took them from me, they just took my baby, he was just the most beautiful little boy, so smart, I don't even know why they would hurt him," Ramirez said.

Poseidon Quinones was three years old. After Ramirez had a violent dispute with the baby's father, Children's Services took the child away from Ramirez and the father, and gave temporary custody to his paternal grandmother, seen in a video. Ramirez begged the caseworker to reconsider.

"Before I left the ACS office that day the last thing I said to them, to Miss Smith and Miss Suarez, is that I better not get a phone call that my baby died, and it hasn't even been 30 days and my baby is not here anymore," Ramirez said.

Poseidon died on Saturday from blunt force trauma to the abdomen, his mother says he had bruises on his face and much of his body, all suffered, she says, while in the legal custody of his grandmother, who has not been arrested.

"I see her today walking on 161 like everything was fine, she was laughing with her husband, they were walking no signs of remorse, no feeling, no nothing, they were just going about their life like it was just a regular day," Ramirez said.

No one answered at the home of Madeline Yensi, the woman who had temporary custody of Poseidon when he was killed.

Outside, the vigil neighbors had started for him, was dark and kicked over.

Five days after she learned her son was dead, Ramirez says no one has told her what happened or why no one has been arrested for what the Medical Examiner has called a homicide.

"My son is not going to be another ACS case that just fell through the cracks, I need justice for my baby," Ramirez said.