Inset: Peter Cuacuas. Background: The New York school that Peter Cuacuas attended at the time of his death (WCBS/YouTube).
A 7-year-old New York boy who starved to death while being kept in a "locked and secreted" room by his caregiver stopped attending virtual classes for more than a month before he died, with his family blaming the boy's school for not reporting his absences to Child Protective Services.
The Newburgh Enlarged City School District has decided to settle a lawsuit filed by Peter Cuacuas' brother, who accused the district and Peter's school, Temple Hill Academy, of not complying "in a timely manner" with its "reporting responsibilities" after the second grader's "absences from school became excessive," according to the legal complaint.
"Had the defendant Newburgh Enlarged City School complied in a timely manner … child protective agencies would have investigated why Peter Cuacuas was not attending school, would have discovered that he was being locked and secreted in a room in the residence of Leticia Bravo, would discovered that he was being starved to death and would have reduced or prevented the pain and suffering that Peter Cuacuas endured before his death from malnutrition on February 10, 2021," the complaint alleged.
Bravo, who was Peter's primary caregiver, is serving a 15-year prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in 2022. The boy's father, Arturo Cuacuas, pleaded guilty to one count of criminally negligent homicide and received the maximum prison sentence permissible under state law, which is 1.33 to 4 years. As part of his plea deal, Arturo Cuacuas agreed to cooperate in the criminal case against Bravo, telling authorities that he noticed his son's deteriorating health for months and failed to take any steps to help the boy while he and Bravo were staying with him.
"On Feb. 10, 2021, shortly after 8:00 am, Bravo brought Peter Cuacuas' lifeless body to St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter," a press release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office said. "An autopsy conducted by the Orange County Medical Examiner concluded that Peter, who weighed just 37 pounds, had died as a result of malnutrition. It is alleged that Bravo kept Peter locked and secreted in a bedroom behind a door that locked from the outside. Since January of 2021, Peter never logged on for virtual schooling, despite numerous conversations between Bravo and Peter's teachers and other school representatives."
According to Peter's brother, Peter missed all of his virtual classes from December 2020 to his death on February 10, 2021. The brother's civil complaint, which was filed in 2022, said New York education law "required" the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, through either a teacher of Peter Cuacuas or another school district employee, to keep an "accurate record of his attendance at school and his absence from school."
The school and district officials "had reasonable cause to suspect from his record of absence from school classes" that he was a "neglected" and "maltreated" child, according to the complaint. "The defendant Newburgh Enlarged City School District never sent an investigator or representative to 135 William Street, Newburgh, New York, to attempt to meet there with Leticia Bravo or to see Peter Cuacuas."
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Bravo in September 2020 became the child's primary caregiver, with Peter spending every night of the week at her apartment except for Saturdays, when he stayed with his father. Prosecutors said that Bravo kept the boy hidden inside of her Newburgh home in a bedroom that locked from the outside as he slowly starved to death.
Following her arrest, investigators said Bravo "admitted that she intended on causing physical injury to the boy and that she recklessly created a grave risk of serious physical injury to the boy, which ultimately culminated in his death."
At her sentencing hearing, Bravo said, "I really don't know how to express how sorry I am. If I could bring back Peter, I would. Even if I have to stay in prison for some years. I pray every night for Peter's forgiveness. This whole situation breaks my heart."
The out-of-court settlement between the Newburgh Enlarged City School District and Peter's brother was confirmed by the Times Union through his lawyer and a district spokesperson, who sent an email to the local newspaper saying, "The loss of a child is a tragedy that deeply affects our entire community. Our thoughts remain with the student's family and loved ones. The district has resolved this matter through a settlement. Consistent with the terms of the agreement, the settlement includes no wrongdoing or liability as to the district."
Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.
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