Latisha Fisher and her son, Gavriel Ortiz-Fisher, in a photo on Facebook.
One day after the police say a mother killed her 1-year-old child — locking herself in the restroom of a Midtown Manhattan restaurant and refusing help as he foamed from the mouth and lost consciousness — Mayor Bill de Blasio said the woman apparently hadsevere mental health issues.
The boy, Gavriel Ortiz-Fisher, was pronounced dead on Monday at Bellevue Hospital Center, and on Tuesday his mother, Latisha Fisher, 35, was charged with his murder.
Mr. de Blasio said that though Ms. Fisher may have had contact with the city’s Administration for Children’s Services in the past, it did not appear that she was currently in contact with the agency.
“This appears to be an instance where a mental health problem was the underlying cause of this tragedy,†the mayor said. He said his administration was “profoundly focused†on doing a better job of meeting and addressing the kinds of mental health issues that can lead to violence and situations like this one.
Neighbors described Ms. Fisher as erratic, at times wildly violent and at other times a doting mother. She could swing between moods quickly and without warning, they said.
Photo
The police say Ms. Fisher locked herself and her son in the restroom at 5 Boro Burger in Manhattan. Workers found her child unconscious. Credit Andrew Renneisen for The New York Times
In September 2011, Ms. Fisher was arrested on charges of assault and criminal possession of a weapon. It was unclear how that case was resolved.
On Monday, she seemed distraught when she entered 5 Boro Burger at 976 Avenue of the Americas, at 36th Street, with the boy, who was 20 months old. She went directly to the restroom and locked the door behind her, the police said.
After a while, restaurant workers went to check on her, and then used a key to enter the room.
A worker who opened the door tried to perform CPR on the boy, the police said, but the mother blocked him.
The workers called 911 around 2:30 p.m., the police said. Officers from the Midtown South Precinct responded to the call about a child in cardiac arrest at the restaurant, the police said. The medical examiner’s office is conducting an autopsy.
Police investigators remained at the scene on Monday evening talking to people in the restaurant. At one point, an officer opened the door to the restroom, revealing a child’s stroller inside.
In a statement, the Administration for Children’s Services said the agency was aware of the boy’s death and was planning to investigate.
Sofia Pacheco, a woman whose mother lives at the Samuel Gompers Houses at 60 Pitt Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where Ms. Fisher and Gavriel’s father also live, said she often saw the family coming and going from the building with the child in tow. She said she never saw anything to indicate that there was a problem.
The boy’s father was very close to the baby, whom the family called Manuel, Ms. Pacheco added.
“I’m in shock,†she said.
Josefina Deleon, 54, who lives at 60 Pitt Street, said Ms. Fisher was a doting mother to her young son.
“She was crazy with that baby; she always took care of him,†Ms. Deleon said. “It hurts.â€
Ms. Fisher also has an older son, Ms. Deleon said.
Jiovanni Montero, 21, who also lives in the building, said he often saw Ms. Fisher with the boy and his father. Through the summer, the parents often took the boy to the courtyard in his stroller for fresh air and playtime.
Mr. Montero, who said he sometimes played ball in the courtyard with the older son, played with the baby.
“I would make faces, he would laugh,†Mr. Montero said. “It really does break my heart. I always thought the mother was good.â€
Mr. Montero added that starting around Halloween, Ms. Fisher and the boy’s father began having fights in public. In one, Mr. Montero heard her ask him how she was supposed to cope if he was not going to be around.
“I always used to see them arguing back and forth,†Mr. Montero said.
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