NY State Agency Orders NYC To Take 'Immediate' Action At Shelters Following Deadly Stabbing Attack On Staten Island

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A New York state agency is ordering New York City's Department of Homeless Services to take "immediate and effective action" to ensure the safety of shelter residents following a stabbing attack that left a mother and two of her young daughters dead and a third daughter critically injured.

Sharon Devine, executive deputy commissioner of New York state's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said they are "authorized to impose immediate remediation measures" in the wake of Wednesday's attack and other violent incidents at city shelters.

"This is the most recent in a rash of violent incidents in emergency shelters in your district over the past several weeks," Devine said in a letter to New York City Human Resources Commissioner and Administrator Steven Banks. "This trend of violence in emergency shelters is simply unacceptable and you, as the district receiving funding to provide safe and habitable services and shelter, must take immediate and effective action to protect your residents."

EXTRA: Read The Full Letter Here

In the letter, Devine says, "In the case of serious health and safety violations in emergency shelters, OTDA is authorized to impose immediate remediation measures. We believe such measures are warranted."

The order from the state comes as a massive search continues for the suspect in Wednesday attack, 23-year-old Michael Sykes.

It happened at the Ramada Inn in the Willowbrook section of Staten Island.

Police said Sykes stabbed his girlfriend, Rebecca Cutler, along with their daughter, 5-month-old Maliyah, and Cutler's other two daughters, 1-year-old Ziana and 2-year-old Miracle.

Only Miracle survived. She remains in the hospital in critical, but stable condition.

Prior to the incident, police said Sykes had gone to a deli earlier in the day. Workers at V&M Bagels & Deli in the Castleton Corners section said Sykes seemed suspicious when he came into their shop for a Coke and cigarettes.

"He had like an attitude, like he was frustrated with something," one employee told CBS2's Andrea Grymes.

"You didn't even want to look at his face, the way he looked like," said another worker.

A little over an hour later, police swarmed the hotel on North Gannon Avenue after a housekeeper found the mother and children. Police said they recovered a knife at the scene.

"We believe he goes into the room about 8:50, he leaves about four minutes later. That's when we believe the attack happens," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "He then goes, he gets on a bus and takes it to the Staten Island ferry."

Police sources said they do have video of him getting off the ferry in Manhattan, Grymes reported. Investigators said Sykes called his mother to say he had killed his girlfriend and was going to kill himself.

"This is an atrocious crime, and I think every parent would share my view that our hearts break when we see innocent children attacked,'' Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.

Cutler and her daughters were temporarily living in the Ramada as part of the Department of Homeless Services shelter system.

The city said the hotel will no longer be used to house shelter residents and starting Thursday, the city will offer free security to the other private hotels they work with.

But Devine has now ordered additional actions to be taken within 24 hours:

- With respect to all hotels/motels and cluster sites in your jurisdiction which are being used to house any recipients of THA (temporary housing assistance), DHS must provide to OTDA an assessment of security measures in place, as well as an aggressive plan for providing and improving security measures at each facility.

- Conduct and provide to OTDA an assessment of the security protocols in place at the Ramada Staten Island at 535 North Gannon Road and determine whether those protocols are adequate, generally, and whether they were adequate on February 10, 2016. Explain why or why not. If inadequate, describe how these protocols will be improved.

- Provide a copy of any incident, investigative or police reports prepared as a result of the incident at the Ramada Staten Island within 24 hours, or as soon as such report(s) are made available.

- The incident at the Ramada Staten Island suggests that the adult murder victim should have been housed in a domestic violence shelter. Provide a summary of how DHS is identifying and housing victims of domestic violence and whether those procedures were properly followed with respect to this family.

Devine said Wednesday's attack was "the third incident of horrific violence in one of your facilities in less than a month."

On Jan. 27, police said Deven Black was stabbed to death at a homeless shelter by his roommate, 21-year-old Anthony White. Police said White has a history of psychiatric issues. So far, police have not been able to track him down.

Devine said a 36-year-old resident at a different shelter was also attacked by other residents on Jan. 30.

"We expect and demand that you take immediate action to protect shelter residents," Devine said in the letter.

In the meantime, police are asking New Yorkers to be on the lookout for Sykes. Police sources believe he is alive and are actively searching for him, especially in Brooklyn, where he lives in Brownsville, Grymes reported.

"We want to get him," said Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. "We want to get him very, very quickly and get him off the streets as fast as we can."

Police said they knew of one prior argument between Sykes and Cutler from Tuesday afternoon when Cutler reported to police that Sykes had taken her phone.

Officials said Sykes has no prior criminal record or history of psychological problems.