The family of a Queens mother, accused of taking the life of her 15-month-old son, struggles to comprehend how she could have committed such a terrible act.
Nicole Bouday, 28, appeared to be in a happy relationship with the father of her child. Just last September, she was proudly showing off little Charlie Lamlaika to relatives in Guyana. Only a few days ago, she was excitedly discussing plans to buy gifts for him, as shared by Trish Emandranaut, the father’s cousin.
On Monday, police found Bouday with her wrists cut near the body of her young son.
“Especially my three children are very affected by this,” Emandranaut said. “They have so many questions right now. They’re with their dad, texting me and reading the news about it. And they’re quite young—7, 8, 10 years old—so it’s tough to explain things I myself don’t fully understand.”
Charlie’s father, Vishnudutt Ramlaika, is heartbroken by the loss, according to relatives.
“That was everything to him,” his cousin stated. “Charlie was his whole world.”
Police arrived at Ramlaika’s home on 157th Street around 1:30 p.m. on Monday and discovered Charlie unresponsive, with Bouday beside him.
Both were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, but sadly, the boy was declared dead. Shortly after, the mother was charged with murder.
Reports revealed that Bouday had called Ramlaika before police got there, admitting to what she had done, as per law enforcement sources.
Officials mentioned that officers had previously responded to two domestic disturbance calls involving the couple—one in May at Ramlaika’s residence and another at Bouday’s place last September.
However, specifics about the incidents, like who initiated the calls or their reasons, remain undisclosed.
Emandranaut expressed that Charlie brought happiness to the family and was always full of smiles. She described how happy both Bouday and her cousin appeared when they were together.
Just before Christmas, Bouday was keen to buy presents for Emandranaut’s children.
“I spoke with Nicole right before the holidays,” Emandranaut recalled. “She often called to ask about my kids’ sizes or what they were interested in for Christmas. She was at the mall and asked me what they might want. I told her they really didn’t need anything, but they love movies. So she said she’d look for theme park tickets or something like that. We chatted for about 30 minutes that day.”
Emandranaut indicated that her cousin and Bouday had been together for around five years and got engaged in 2023.
“He made a wonderful proposal to her,” she noted. “They both really care for each other. We even celebrated a big baby shower for Charlie last year.”
“I just can’t wrap my head around what made her do this,” she added. “She was the type of mom who would worry if her son stumbled, instantly picking him up and comforting him.”
