The Institute of Forensic Sciences is waiting for the results of additional analyses from the autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death of the four-year-old boy who died Tuesday under the custody of the Department of the Family in Arecibo. As part of the process, the child’s mother was interviewed Saturday by ICF staff, a routine step to learn the person’s health at the time of death; the agency has no estimate of when the analyses will conclude.
The Department of the Family continues its own investigation. The boy and his sister were removed in mid-September from their mother’s home in Jayuya. The agency said the child had lived four days in the foster home, which had no prior referrals, and that the siblings underwent medical evaluation before arrival and were in good health.
All children in the Arecibo foster home were relocated and are safe. According to the department, the children were first placed with their paternal grandmother, but that home did not meet applicable safety requirements under the 'Family First' policy. Shelsy Rivera, the boy’s mother, told Telenoticias she received a call from a department supervisor saying the child was 'pale and shaky' and asking permission to take him to a doctor; he died the next day. The agency said the matter is confidential and no additional information will be provided.