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State Lawmakers Look To Close Loophole With 'Myls' Law'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It took a 4-year-old boy's torture and death to expose a loophole in state law, some legislators in Albany say.

Myls Dobson was found dead in an empty bathtub at an upscale Midtown apartment building last week. His mother lost custody of the boy. His father was jailed. And his father's girlfriend, who was left to take care of Myls, admitted to abusing him, police said.

As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, state Sen. Jose Serrano, D-Manhattan/Bronx, and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, are proposing "Myls' Law," which would require police to notify a child services agency when they arrest a parent.

State Lawmakers Look To Close Loophole With 'Myls' Law'

"Not taking simply for granted that kids are in a good situation because obviously Myls wasn't, even though his father said that he was," Serrano said.

Kryzie King, 27, the woman Myls ended up living with, is accused of beating, burning, freezing and starving him. She has been charged with first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment.

The medical examiner's office has not yet determined a cause of death.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced an investigation into how Myls' death could have been prevented at the city level.

"Mayor de Blasio is quite capable of identifying those issues and making sure that they are remedied," Serrano said. "But I think this one is one that we can do quickly and move forward on."

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