Pat Dollard | Young Americans

NEW YORK - The guardian of a 3-year-old boy and her boyfriend were charged with assault Saturday, a day after authorities found the child’s body covered in cigarette burns and beaten to death.

Police said the boy had horrific signs of abuse, including a broken leg, and apparently had been sodomized with an object before he died Friday.

Authorities charged legal guardian Nymeen Cheatham, 30, and her boyfriend, Lemar Martin, 25. The death has been ruled a homicide, but prosecutor’s spokesman Jonah Bruno said it hadn’t been decided whether charges would be upgraded.

The 28-pound boy had been bruised and battered over many parts of his body, medical examiner’s spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

Cheatham and Martin were in custody Saturday. It was unclear from police and prosecutors whether they had lawyers.

A building superintendent, Gail McNally, told reporters the boy had arrived at the home about a year and a half ago and was in Cheatham’s care because his mother was a drug addict.

(AP)