Paterson, NJ – A 48-year-old woman from Passaic has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after her 6-year-old autistic son was found dead inside their home following what authorities say was a failed murder-suicide attempt.
Nakija Martin was arrested and formally charged on July 29, following a two-week investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit. The investigation began on the morning of July 15, when officers from the Passaic Police Department responded to a home near Aspen Place and State Street around 8:30 a.m. for a report of an unresponsive child.
Police arrived to find Martin at the residence, along with the body of her deceased son. Investigators believe Martin attempted to take her own life and had intended to kill her son. The official cause and manner of the boy’s death remain pending the results of an autopsy.
Authorities say Martin appeared before Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed on Tuesday and consented to pretrial detention while the case proceeds. She faces a second-degree charge of endangering the welfare of a child, which carries a sentencing range of 5 to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison if convicted.
The case remains active and ongoing as investigators continue to review evidence surrounding the circumstances of the child’s death.
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Key Points
- Nakija Martin, 48, is charged after her 6-year-old autistic son was found dead in Passaic
- Authorities believe she attempted suicide and intended to kill her son
- Martin is being held in pretrial detention and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted
