A 12-year-old boy who died after police said he complained of head pain following reports he was punched in the head at school suffered no physical trauma, the medical examiner's office said Monday. The cause and manner of death for Romy Vilsaint are pending further study, a spokesperson said.
The NYPD had said Vilsaint had no clear signs of trauma either. He died Friday at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn after he was transported by EMS for complaints of head pain. Vilsaint had stayed home sick from Public School 361 in East Flatbush that day after back-to-back days of bullying, the Daily News previously reported.
Cops on Saturday confirmed reports Vilsaint had been punched in the head by a classmate. The boy's cousin told the News that Vilsaint had a severe headache and started vomiting shortly before he died.
“My mom [Romy’s aunt] found the vomit in the bucket and gave him a shower,” Romy’s cousin, Roodwiny Exantus, told the paper. “She said he couldn’t walk.”
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The family said Romy was beaten by two boys on Wednesday as school was letting out. They also said a second attack occurred at the school on Thursday when a boy was allegedly dared $1 to punch Romy in the back of the head.
The Department of Education has called Vilsaint's death a "tragedy" in recent statements to the press.
“The safety of our young people is our absolute priority and this incident will be thoroughly investigated, and we are providing supports to both the family and school community," spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said.
News
The Department of Education is referring Vilsaint's case to an independent body for investigation.
