The parents of an 8-year-old boy from Williamsbridge who died last June have been arrested on murder charges.

Police responded to a call from Montefiore North Hospital emergency room regarding the child, who had been brought to the facility by his mother from his Williamsbridge home, on Tuesday, June 1, at around 2.10 p.m.

The child was unconscious and unresponsive, with no obvious signs of trauma observed. Joseph Barney, 8, of East 214th Street was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

The medical examiner was due to determine the cause of death. There were no initial arrests, and the investigation continued.

On Monday, March 21, 2022, police confirmed that two individuals were arrested in connection to the incident. 

The same month, we reported on the passage in the Assembly of landmark bill (A2375B), led by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), which requires that court-ordered forensic evaluations involving child custody and visitation be carried out by a licensed psychologist, social worker or psychiatrist who has completed a training program developed by the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The legislation also tasks the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence to work with the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to develop the new training program. At the time of the bill’s passage in the Assembly, standards for child custody forensic evaluators varied by county in New York State.