#Teen brother assaulted 7-year-old before her death: sources

The teen brother of the slain 7-year-old in the Bronx allegedly admitted that he assaulted his sister before she was found dead in their apartment, police sources said Wednesday.

The shocking admission was revealed Wednesday as more details of the girl’s unremitting toxic home life came to light, with family and neighbors describing alleged physical abuse and sources saying city officials only recently returned the girl to her mother.

The tragic girl’s lifeless body — with evidence of trauma all over — was found Tuesday morning, but the girl’s mom told cops she fell and hit her head on a desk, sources said at the time.

The girl’s 17-year-old brother later admitted during questioning that he had punched his sister eight times in the face when their mother went to the store around 5 a.m., police sources said.

Hours later, the girl started throwing up and passed out, prompting the 35-year-old mom to call 911.

The girl, who was identified as Julissia Batties, was rushed to Lincoln Hospital but could not be saved.

Cops have been called to the apartment in NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses on Alexander Avenue six times over the past three years, according to sources, who said that on at least one of those occasions, the mother covered for the teen boy.

The last call came in March 2020, sources said.

In one of the assaults, the teen told cops his mom lied to the Administration for Children’s Services when they showed up at their home and questioned the 7-year-old’s black eye, sources said.

The mom allegedly told officials with the agency that a younger sibling hit the girl with a toy gun by accident, according to sources.

The mother denied knowing of her son attacking his younger sister, the sources said.

“Those kids shouldn’t have been living in that house,” a high-ranking police source railed on Wednesday.

Another source told The Post the girl was returned to her mother in June after previously being placed in her grandmother’s custody. The details of why the girl was removed were not immediately known.

The young girl’s grandma, Yolanda Davis, said city officials have taken each of the troubled mom’s seven kids away at some point. 

“My granddaughter was in pediatric counseling to find out what was going on,” Davis said. “Any time we mentioned Julissa’s mother’s name, my granddaughter ran down the hallway.”

Davis demanded justice for her granddaughter’s death. 

“I’m destroyed. I’m very numb, frustrated, very hurt,” she said. 

Neighbors in the building said the mom had three children — the 7-year-old girl, the 17-year-old boy and another boy around 3 years old.

Police and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office were awaiting the autopsy results Wednesday before filing any charges, the sources added.

Michael Roberts, a 31-year-old neighbor, called the mom’s story “bulls–t.”

“There ain’t no way no baby fell and hit her head on the desk,” he said.

“Everybody knew the baby was being abused,” Roberts claimed, adding his girlfriend called child services on the mother just last week when she spotted the girl with a black eye, hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

“I feel they should have taken all three kids away from her a long time ago,” he added.

Roberts said his girlfriend has seen ACS knocking on their door “plenty of times” and blamed the agency for not doing more.

“If you come more than three times, you know it’s not a–whipping, it’s abuse… The baby got bruises,” he said. “If they had to come more than once, they should have taken the kids.”

A memorial was set up for the girl inside the building — with a stuffed Minnie Mouse doll, flowers and three prayer candles.

A spokesman for ACS declined to provide specifics on the outcome of the visits.

“Our top priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City,” the spokesman said. “We are investigating this case with the NYPD.”