Queens Gazette

Questions Remain In Death Of Woodside Boy




Police do not believe 10-year-old autistic boy who died last week at his family’s home in Woodside was the victim of foul play, law enforcement sources said.

Farhan Taiukder was found by his mother, face down on a bath mat in the bathroom of his parent’s apartment at 59-29 Queens Boulevard at approximately 5:30 p.m. on January 31, police said.

The boy’s mother, who is four months pregnant, initially told investigators Farhan was taking a bath when she found him unconscious in the tub, the sources said.

Emergency responders answering a 911 call of a boy who drowned became suspicious when they found the boy, naked – but dry, laying on the bath mat, sources said.

The team of medical technicians began working on Frahan in the apartment and continued to administer CPR in both the elevator and the ambulance, a fire spokesperson said. Cops and other responders held up the building elevator for nearly an hour while medics tried desperately to revive the boy, the spokesperson said.

The boy was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival, authorities said.

Police questioned the parents, although they are not suspected of criminality in the death, law enforcement sources said.

The family came to the U.S. from Bangladesh several years ago to obtain help for their son, a neighbor said. “They spent a lot of money to come here to give the boy better care and a better future,” the neighbor said.

An autopsy by the city medical examiner was inconclusive pending toxicology tests, a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office said.

Neighbors said the boy was autistic and he suffered with “mental issues” – a condition the parents struggled to control.

“These are loving parents,” neighbors said. “This is so sad.”.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.