Before an 8 year old Long Island boy was killed by his NYPD father, there had been years of abuse reports that officials failed to act on. Graham Rayman wrote about it for the New York Daily News and he spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake.  

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RICHARD HAKE [HOST]: It's Morning Edition on WNYC. I'm Richard Hake. A new report out shows authorities continually failed an eight year old Long Island boy who died of hypothermia last month while in custody of his father, an NYPD officer.

Authorities say Thomas Valva was beaten and forced to sleep in an unheated garage while temperatures dipped well below freezing. His father, Michael Valva, and his father's fiance, Angela Pollina, have been charged with second degree murder. Now, records obtained by the New York Daily News show they were repeated reports of abuse that were resolved without consequence, and that a judge ignored please from the boy's mom. Joining us now Daily News reporter Graham Rayman and a warning—details in this case are upsetting.

Graham, welcome back to WNYC.

GRAHAM RAYMAN [GUEST]:Thank you so much.

RICHARD HAKE [HOST]:All right. First, tell us about some of these complaints that were reported to Nassau County police and the Nassau County Child Protective Services Division.

GRAHAM RAYMAN [GUEST]: Well, the child's death wasn't an isolated incident. There was a drumbeat of complaints going back to more than two years. The mother was kind of ping ponging between the law enforcement organizations, the judges and Child Protective Services, the child welfare fair agency out on Long Island, and she filed complaints. But there were also a series of complaints filed by independent people like educators, school administrators. Two of her sons are autistic, including the boy who died, and the director of that special school that they were at previously, also filed complaints.

RICHARD HAKE [HOST]: Now you received the family court transcripts during this custody battle between the boy's mother and the father. Did that reveal anything?

GRAHAM RAYMAN [GUEST]: It was startling. There was a hearing on July 11 2019, where the mother is is pleading to get custody back. It's complicated. It was very bitter, family court, that kind of underlays this whole thing but she's pleading with him and she asked for custody, and he says "Why, on what basis?" and she goes, "The children's life is in danger." She says it like six times in this hearing to the judge to the judge, and the judge is dismissive. He denies her motion and says, she says, why? On what basis? And he goes, because I said, so. That's Family Court Judge Joseph Lorintz

RICHARD HAKE [HOST]: Why wasn't she taken seriously, then?

GRAHAM RAYMAN [GUEST]: Family Court cases are very complicated. And this one was a particularly bitter one. And she started representing herself also. So I think she was seen as maybe not credible, but a boy is dead. And there were warnings over and over again. I mean, I'd like to know what Child Protective Services was doing. She says that they were opening and closing complaints very quickly. They have 60 days to investigate, so they could have done a thorough job. But I saw the list of the complaints from maternal records, and it shows, she's right. They were opening and closing many of the complaints very quickly.

RICHARD HAKE [HOST]: What is CPS saying about the claims? What's their response?

GRAHAM RAYMAN [GUEST]: Suffolk County will only say they're doing an internal investigation.

RICHARD HAKE [HOST]: Now Michael Valva is a transit officer with the NYPD. Do you think this case raises larger questions about whether police are held accountable for domestic abuse and neglect in the same way as a civilian?

GRAHAM RAYMAN [GUEST]: I think it does. She filed a complaint against him in with internal affairs, which is the NYPD investigative arm and they closed it as unfounded in July. That's five months before the boy's murder. I don't see how they could have come to that conclusion. Based on the record, I mean, if they—any investigator would have at least put the guy on on modified duty while they did a thorough investigation.

RICHARD HAKE [HOST]: All right. Well, we'll be watching. Graham Raymond is a reporter with the Daily News. Thanks so much for coming in.