12-year-old boy dies in Brooklyn after complaining of head pain; police investigating

FLATBUSH, Brooklyn -- A 12-year-old boy who complained of head pain died in Brooklyn on Friday, sparking an investigation by the NYPD.

Police responded to an apartment building on Cortelyou Road in Flatbush around 5:20 p.m. after someone called 911, authorities said. 

The child, later identified as Romy Vilsaint by family members, was conscious and complained of pain in his head but had no obvious signs of trauma, police said. He died at a hospital.

The city medical examiner will determine the boy’s cause of death. 

His family says he is the victim of bullying at school.    

“He was fun to be around. He was so smart,” Roodwiny Exantus, a cousin of the victim, told PIX11 News.    

Exantus says his family is just devastated by what police called the suspicious death of the 5th grader at PS 361. His cousin says Romy was attacked twice in two days, jumped by two kids at school on Wednesday and then hit in the head on Thursday by an attacker who, he said, was paid a dollar by a third student.

No arrests had been made, as of Saturday morning. 

“He told me after he got punched in the head he reported it to the teacher or the principal, I’m not sure which, and the tease teacher asked the kid who said he got paid a dollar from this kid to do that,” Exantus added. 
   
Exantus also says Romy spent part of Thursday in the school nurse’s office and then stayed home sick on Friday in their East Flatbush apartment. The family called for an ambulance after Romy started vomiting on Friday afternoon. The 12-year-old was pronounced deceased at Kings County Hospital

“I can’t say too much I can’t put no blame on no one,” Exantus said. “I wish when he was in the nursing room, they had called the hospital but I can’t blame nobody,” he added.      

Late this afternoon, a statement from the New York City Department of Education:

“This is a horrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family during this incredibly difficult time. 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.”

Vilsaint was born in Haiti and moved to Brooklyn in 2017 to live with his father and two sisters and his cousin’s family. His mother and three other sisters stayed in Haiti. 
       
“Words can’t describe how she feels right now,” Exantus said. “She asked to speak to her son this morning or one last time. We had to tell her... I was speechless."       

The NYC Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the exact cause of death.          

The family is making funeral arrangements and hoping Romy’s mother will be allowed to fly to Brooklyn for his burial.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).