FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ (Somerset County) – A mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 4-year-old son in Franklin Township, according to Somerset County First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller.
Chamyr Harris, 26, of Linden was arrested on Monday in Woodbridge Township without incident and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Mueller said.
The father, Sean Tate, 36, of Woodbridge Township, was arrested on Feb. 18 in Woodbridge township without incident and was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Mueller.
Both are lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a court appearance, Mueller said.
On Monday, Feb. 19, at around 3:24 p.m., police responded to an area hotel for the report of an unresponsive 4-year-old boy, Mueller said.
Upon arrival, Sean Tate reported that his 4-year-old biological child fell off a toilet two days ago sustaining a head injury and hit his head on an AC unit prior to that. Tate reported that the injury from the toilet was visible, so he iced the injury before going to bed on February 19, Mueller said.
When he woke up, Tate stated that he learned from Chamyr Harris, the child’s mother, that the child was unresponsive, and he called 9-1-1. Chamyr Harris, stated she last saw her child alive two hours earlier and reported to police that her child fell off a toilet two days ago, Mueller said.
The child was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m. Medical personnel reported that the child was emaciated and appeared to have sustained multiple injuries on his body, Mueller said.
An autopsy was conducted by the New Jersey Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. On February 4, 2025, the child’s manner of death was ruled a homicide, Mueller said.
Mueller thanked members of the Woodbridge Police Department, Linden Police Department and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Newark Field Office – Branchburg RA, for their assistance with this investigation.
Anyone with information relating to this homicide to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
