Death of Mariya Huebler, 2, at NYC homeless shelter ruled homicide as autopsy reveals methadone overdose
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: An autopsy report confirmed the death of a two-year-old girl in a homeless shelter in Manhattan to be a homicide. The girl died last year from methadone overdose, as per the autopsy, authorities said on December 16.
Identified as Mariya Huebler, police said that the tot was found unconscious and unresponsive on June 7, 2021, at the shelter just before 11.45 pm. The incident took place at the homeless shelter situated at Hamilton Place in Hamilton Heights, reports the New York Post.
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Authorities said that there was nothing that signaled trauma at the time. As soon as Huebler was found unwell, she was taken to Mount Sinai Saint Luke’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. However, on Friday morning, December 16, the police ruled the case as a homicide based on the city Medical Examiner's Office report that pointed out the tot's consumption of methadone. The cops stated that the investigation is underway and no arrests have been made so far, reported New York Post.
Last year, the little girl's grieving mother wrote on a GoFundMe page that “the meaning of Mariya means loved by many or beloved just like the meaning of my name Jedidah. She literally was loved by many and touched so many people in such a short time she’s been on this earth. It just speaks to the character and awareness my daughter had at such a young age.”
“This tragedy has not only just effected (sic) me but many others. Mariya was loved so deeply, it hurts to acknowledge that she is physically not with us no more. Anyone who knew me knew how much I loved my daughter, how much of a hands on mother I was to Mariya. I still cannot believe this is real,” she wrote.
According to New York Daily, the Harlem shelter is run by Help USA. This non-profit organization was founded in the 1980s by Gov. Cuomo whose sister Maria Cuomo Cole chairs the board of directors. The Help USA shelter failed to provide facilities including wall damages, crib-related issues, and poor housekeeping in the early 2010s when the inmates lacked safety at the shelter and underwent health problems, reports the New York Daily. A 3-month-old girl died of cardiac arrest after she was rushed from the shelter in February 2014.