Source: ACS visited Queens boy's home before he died

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The death of a 5-year-old boy in Queens is raising new questions about the city's child welfare system. ACS workers had numerous contacts with the family before his death.

The NYPD said a 911 call brought paramedics to the two-family home on 109 Avenue in South Jamaica about 4:15 p.m. Sunday. Cops found Michael Guzman, who suffered from epilepsy, in his bed and unresponsive. He could not be revived.

Sources told me ACS went to the home on 11 occasions. The ACS press secretary said the agency is barred by state law from commenting on any case. Regarding the allegations of abuse in some media reports, he said abuse can mean many things, but if there is imminent danger to a child's life then the child can be removed immediately.

A spokesperson for the city medical examiner said the initial autopsy was inconclusive, but that there were no signs of recent wounds or injuries. The OCME is awaiting various test results.

In December following the heartbreaking child abuse death of Zymere Perkins, 6, in Harlem, and missed opportunities to save him, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered Mayor Bill de Blasio to appoint an independent monitor to oversee ACS by January 28. Concerns about heavy caseloads for child case workers resulted in the hiring of 600 more staff last year.