In the quiet of a May evening, the vibrant city of Paterson, New Jersey, was rocked by a tragedy that would leave its community reeling. On May 6, 2025, at approximately 8:45 p.m., Paterson police responded to a distressing call from the Griffin Homes public housing project near Pearl and Carroll streets. There, in an apartment that should have been a safe haven, they found a 4-year-old girl unresponsive, her small body bearing the marks of unimaginable violence. Despite desperate efforts to save her, the child was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center just 45 minutes later, at 9:33 p.m. What unfolded in the days and months that followed would reveal a chilling tale of abuse, neglect, and betrayal.
The little girl, whose identity has been withheld to protect her dignity, was the daughter of 21-year-old Givenchy Stewart. Living with Stewart was his girlfriend, 21-year-old Ashanti Givens, in an apartment that became the backdrop for a horrific crime. According to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, an autopsy delivered a gut-wrenching truth: the child’s death was no accident. She had succumbed to blunt force trauma, her injuries pointing to repeated physical abuse. The weight of this revelation settled heavily over Paterson, a city already grappling with its share of challenges.
Investigators from Valdes’s Special Victims Unit worked tirelessly to piece together the events leading to the girl’s death. Their findings painted a grim picture. Stewart and Givens, entrusted with the care of this defenseless child, had left her alone in the apartment for significant periods on both May 5 and May 6. These moments of neglect set the stage for a far darker act. Authorities allege that Givens was responsible for the brutal beating that ended the young girl’s life, delivering the fatal blows that stole her future. Stewart, her father, is accused not only of failing to protect his daughter but also of actively working to cover up the crime, misleading investigators with lies about the circumstances surrounding her death.
The investigation culminated in a powerful response from the justice system. On August 6, 2025, a Passaic County grand jury returned indictments against both Givens and Stewart, ensuring that the wheels of accountability would begin to turn. Ashanti Givens now faces the gravest of charges: first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree hindering apprehension. If convicted, she could spend 30 years to life behind bars, a sentence reflecting the severity of her alleged actions. Givenchy Stewart, while not charged with murder, faces serious consequences for his role, with charges of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree hindering. Both were arrested on May 12 and remain in custody—Givens at the Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny and Stewart at the Bergen County Jail—awaiting their joint arraignment on September 8, 2025.
The case has ignited a firestorm of grief and outrage in Paterson and beyond. The image of a 4-year-old girl, left alone and subjected to such cruelty, has struck a deep chord, prompting soul-searching and calls for change. Community advocates for children’s welfare have pointed to this tragedy as a stark reminder of the need for stronger protections for vulnerable minors. The fact that this is not the first such incident in Paterson only deepens the wound. Just nine months earlier, in August 2024, another 4-year-old girl in the city survived a brutal stabbing allegedly at the hands of her aunt, a case that still haunts the community.
Prosecutor Valdes, a steadfast voice in the pursuit of justice, has vowed to hold those responsible to account. “This child’s life was taken in an act of brutality that no community should ever have to endure,” she declared in a statement that resonated with both sorrow and resolve. “Our office will ensure accountability for those responsible and continue to fight for the safety of all children in Passaic County.” Her words carry the weight of a promise—to seek justice not only for this young victim but for every child whose voice cannot be heard.
As the legal process moves forward, the memory of the 4-year-old girl lingers as a haunting call to action. Her life, though brief, serves as a powerful reminder of the sacred responsibility adults bear to protect the most vulnerable among us. In Paterson, a city known for its resilience, this tragedy has sparked a collective determination to ensure that no child suffers such a fate again. The road to justice will be long, but for this little girl, it is a journey that must be taken.