The 16-year-old boy’s twin brother was also severely malnourished but survived after being taken to a hospital.
NEW YORK — A Bronx mother and grandmother were held without bail Thursday after prosecutors accused them of causing the starvation death of a 16-year-old boy with autism and severely neglecting his twin brother.
Geneva Jarvis, 36, and Denise Jarvis, 62, were indicted on charges that include second-degree murder, manslaughter, depraved indifference assault and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person. The charges stem from the March 19 death of Adonis Jarvis, who was pronounced dead at a Bronx hospital. The women are accused but have not been convicted.
Police were called to the hospital after Adonis arrived showing severe signs of malnutrition. The New York City medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide. Officials said an autopsy determined that he died from starvation, while a law enforcement source said the teenager weighed about 60 pounds at the time of his death.
Adonis and his twin brother had autism and were described by police as nonverbal. Authorities said both teenagers showed signs of chronic neglect, starvation and dehydration when they were brought to the hospital. Police also reported sores on their bodies. The surviving brother required hospital treatment and faces what Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark described as a lengthy recovery.
“These two women failed in their duty and responsibility to care for these boys,” Clark said. “One child has died. The other faces a lengthy recovery.”
The family lived in a third-floor walk-up on East 147th Street in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The building superintendent told WABC-TV that the apartment was filled with garbage and clothing and was not fit to live in. He said he had sought access to make repairs but was repeatedly told to return later.
Neighbors said the family largely kept to itself. One neighbor said she remembered seeing the twins ride a school bus with her daughter, who also has special needs, but did not notice anything that appeared alarming at the time. The accounts suggest that the boys’ condition was not widely visible to people outside the home.
The women were arrested months after Adonis died, following the medical examiner’s homicide finding and a police investigation. They were arraigned Thursday afternoon and ordered held without bail. Information about their attorneys and their next scheduled court appearance was not immediately available in the reports reviewed.
The city Administration for Children’s Services said it was investigating the death with the New York Police Department. The agency said the safety and well-being of children remained its top priority but released no additional information about any prior contact with the family.
The criminal case remains pending, and prosecutors must prove the charges in court. Authorities have not publicly released a complete account of the months before Adonis died or explained when his surviving brother is expected to leave medical care.
Author note: Last updated July 31, 2026.