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'We love you': Family mourns 3-year-old Brooklyn boy's murder
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) --- The family of the 3-year-old Brooklyn boy who was beaten and drowned is mourning the toddler's death.
"Our family was not prepared for the loss," the child's cousin posted on a GoFundMe page on Friday.
Kevin James, 29, the child’s neighbor, allegedly took Denim Brown, 3, to an abandoned fourth-floor apartment in the East Flatbush building at 770 New York Ave. and attacked him on March 17, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. The child was found unconscious in the bathtub with neck and head injuries at around 9:45 p.m., officials said.
"We love you Denim, and will never forget you," the crowdfunding post said.
Nearly $6,000 has already been raised on the GoFundMe page as the family continues to ask for support.
"We thank the community for their outpouring of love during this difficult time," the cousin wrote.
Brown’s mother, 24, left the boy with the babysitter, 66, who had been watching the toddler for more than two years, Kenny said during a press briefing on Thursday. The babysitter’s three sons, including James, also live in the apartment.
Authorities said James allegedly snuck out of the unit with the boy, killed him, and left him to return to his apartment before the suspect’s brothers noticed the child was missing. James then grabbed the boy’s iPad and went back to the scene of the crime, authorities said.
“So the two brothers start the search for the kid and find him deceased. James leaves the building later returns and is placed under arrest,” Kenny said.
James was incoherent during questioning and had no history of mental illness, police said. He has one prior arrest for petit larceny.
James was charged with murder and assault and is being held without bail. He has pleaded not guilty.