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Suffolk lawmakers probe freezing garage death of Thomas Valva

The legislative committee also hired an attorney to subpoena all records connected to this case.

News 12 Staff

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Aug 11, 2020, 9:26 PM

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Updated 1,353 days ago

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Suffolk County legislators are now investigating the death of 8-year old Thomas Valva – a child from Center Moriches who died in January after allegedly being forced to spend the night in an unheated garage by his father and her fiancée.
On Tuesday, a brief meeting was held to form a special legislative committee to look into what went wrong in the Valva case. Valva's mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, says she repeatedly reported that her ex-husband was abusing her children. Even the school district says it notified Child Protective Services.
MORE: Mother of Center Moriches boy who died in freezing garage files $200M wrongful death suit 
The legislative committee also hired an attorney to subpoena all records connected to this case.
The meeting was closed to the public but Zubko-Valva spoke with lawmakers in the County Legislature.
“We want to hear her story,” said Presiding Officer Rob Calarco. “Clearly, one of the failings this whole time is people did not take her seriously and were not listening to her, so we want to be able to hear what she has to say.”
The legislative committee says it could be six months or more before they release their findings.
The criminal case is continuing against ex-NYPD officer Michael Valva, and his fiancee, Angela Pollina. His attorney has said Thomas' death was an accident and that there was an electric space heater turned on in the garage.
Last month, Zubko-Valva filed a $200 million wrongful death lawsuit.
RELATED STORIES: 
Center Moriches boy who died in cold garage remembered at funeral Mass 
DA: Father, fiancée watched 8-year-old boy die in freezing garage in Center Moriches 
Thomas Valva's mother denied request to keep CPS from visiting her home 
Suffolk DA calls for special grand jury in death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva Mother of Thomas Valva doesn't want proposed Suffolk legislation to be named after her son 
 
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