Family of Guyanese Mother Charged in NYC Toddler’s Death Says Tragedy “Hit Hard”

QUEENS, NEW YORK — Relatives of Nicole Boodhai, the 28-year-old Queens woman charged in connection with the death of her 15-month-old son, Charlie Ramraykha, say they are struggling to comprehend the tragedy that unfolded inside a Jamaica, Queens home late last month.

Boodhai has been charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child, following the discovery of the toddler unresponsive in a residence on 157th Street near 109th Avenue, according to police and local reporting.

Police said officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault in progress at about 1:30 p.m. on December 29. Inside the home, they found the child unconscious and unresponsive and the mother with slash wounds to her wrists believed to be self-inflicted. Both were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where the child was pronounced dead.

Investigators have not publicly confirmed the child’s cause of death, and reports indicate the case remains under investigation as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determines official findings.

Relatives told media outlets they were shocked by the allegations, describing Boodhai as attentive to her child and close with her fiancé’s family. Reporting also indicates family members said the mother had recently spoken about holiday plans and gifts—details that made the incident even harder for them to process.

Nicole Boodhai, 28, seemed happily engaged to the baby’s dad and fussed over little Charlie Ramraykha — even showing him off to relatives in Guyana in September — and chatted on the phone about buying gifts for youngsters in the family just days earlier, the father’s cousin, Trish Emmandranauth, told The Press.

Neighbors and local witnesses likewise described confusion and distress in the aftermath, as emergency responders arrived and the scene drew attention in the residential neighborhood.

Media reporting also noted that authorities had previously responded to domestic-related calls involving the couple, though further details and relevance to the case have not been fully established publicly.

Boodhai is expected to face court proceedings in Queens as prosecutors move forward with the charges. Under U.S. law, charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.