BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- A three-year-old child has died following an assault that led to a brain bleed, severe brain swelling, loss of brain function, a broken femur, broken arm and lacerated liver.

Massena Police Detective Mike O’Brien confirmed the child, Kayden Flowers, died this morning, Nov. 30, at 9:02 a.m. at University of Vermont Medical Center.

Flowers was airlifted on Nov. 28 following the assault.

O’Brien said a 911 call received at 8:37 a.m. on Nov. 28 led to the arrests.

The child's mother, Kaitlin S. Cyrus, 23, and Jovannie E. Vega, 24, have both been charged with second-degree manslaughter as a result of the assault that led to the child's death.

The manslaughter charge was announced during their arraignment today, Nov. 30, in Town of Massena Court.

Both were also previously charged with multiple felonies on Nov. 28, including first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless assault: causing serious brain injury to a child under five- shaking or slamming of the head, second-degree assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, second-degree assault: person 18 or more years causing injury to person under seven, and first-degree assault: causing serious injury through grave risk of death, according to court documents obtained by North Country This Week.

On social media, various claims have been made that prior abuse had been reported to authorities, however North Country This Week has not been able to verify the allegations.

Massena Chief of Police Jason Olson confirmed that no complaints of abuse had been made to his department prior to this incident.

When asked if prior allegations of abuse regarding the household had been made to the Department of Social Services or Child Protective Services, or if the family was under supervision of DSS or other agencies, St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua said he could not provide comment at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

However, he said that as part of the investigation his office would be looking to determine if and to what level any other agencies may have been involved with the family.

Both Vega and Cyrus were remanded to St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility without bail.

It is alleged Cyrus allowed Vega to "engage in ongoing physical abuse of the three-year-old victim" and "failed to seek aid and did not seek medical attention for the victim until 48 hours after the abuse occurred."

In the course of the assault, Vega is alleged to have thrown the victim into the bedroom wall before slamming the child on the ground several times.

Court documents did not state who filed the complaint that led to the charges.

The investigation is ongoing.

Further charges are pending the results of the investigation, according to O’Brien.