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Four siblings killed in fiery New York parkway crash had long history of panhandling, angry relatives tell the News: (EXCLUSIVE) – New York Daily News ONLY $9 FOR 1 YEAR Spring savings end soon! Sign Up or Log In * Profile * Newsletters * Sign Out * Advertise with us(Opens in new window) * E-Newspaper * Daily News E-Newspaper(Opens in new window) * Evening Edition(Opens in new window) * Newsletters(Opens in new window) * Subscriber Services(Opens in new window) * Subscriber Services(Opens in new window) * EZ Pay(Opens in new window) * Delivery Issue(Opens in new window) * Subscriber Terms(Opens in new window) * About Us * Help Center * Contact Us * 100th Anniversary * Branded Content * Advertising by Ascend(Opens in new window) * Paid Partner Content(Opens in new window) * Paid Content By Brandpoint(Opens in new window) * Comics * Coronavirus * Fun & Games(Opens in new window) * Jumble Daily(Opens in new window) * Cookie Crush(Opens in new window) * Daily Crossword(Opens in new window) * Bubble Shooter Pro(Opens in new window) * Horoscopes * Jobs * Place an ad(Opens in new window) * Career advice(Opens in new window) * Find a job(Opens in new window) * Freelance jobs(Opens in new window) * Justice Story * Lifestyle * Health * Eats * Puzzles and Games(Opens in new window) * Viva * New York * Manhattan * Bronx * Brooklyn * Queens * NYC Crime * Hometown Heroes * Black History Month * Education * New York Politics(Opens in new window) * Obituaries(Opens in new window) * Weather * News * Crime * U.S. * Politics * World * Obituaries(Opens in new window) * Death notice listings(Opens in new window) * Place a notice(Opens in new window) * Opinion * Editorial Cartoons(Opens in new window) * Photos * Photos(Opens in new window) * Covers(Opens in new window) * Real Estate * Place an ad(Opens in new window) * Real Estate news and advice(Opens in new window) * Real Estate Listings(Opens in new window) * Snyde * Special Sections * Sports * Yankees * Mets * Giants * Jets * Knicks * Nets * Liberty * Rangers * Islanders * Football * Basketball * Baseball * Hockey * Soccer * More Sports * The Hook * The Back Page(Opens in new window) * Travel * Travel Offers * U.S. Politics(Opens in new window) * More(Opens in new window) * Automotive * Classifieds * En español * Photo requests, reprints(Opens in new window) * Consumer Reviews * Contests * Daily News archives(Opens in new window) * Privacy Policy(Opens in new window) * Public Notices(Opens in new window) * TAG disclosure(Opens in new window) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE NOW Get full access * Four siblings killed in fiery New York parkway crash had long history of panhandling, angry relatives tell the News: (EXCLUSIVE) * E. Jean Carroll fights back during cross-examination in Trump civil rape trial: ‘He raped me whether I screamed or not’ * Texas man fatally shot fake parking lot attendant for scamming him out of $40, then chowed down on burgers with date * Mother, two girls die in fast moving Brooklyn fire * Man stabbed in stomach in random ice pick attack on Brooklyn subway * Cruella DeSantis: Florida’s governor vs. Disney, and the Constitution * Federal raid targets Brooklyn’s Red Hook Houses in gang takedown * Mike Lupica: Pat Riley and the Heat wake echoes of ‘90s Knicks at the Garden * Abortion bans fail in deep red states Nebraska and South Carolina, signaling major election headache for Republicans * Bronx man dies 12 days after vicious stabbing: police * Outburst of sobs followed fatal Brooklyn stabbing in clash between teen romantic rivals * NYC Mayor Adams’ top lawyer, communications director leaving administration this summer: sources * Long Island officials reach agreement to lease Nassau Coliseum to Sands for casino bid * Suspects made ‘blood brothers’ pact after fatal Colorado rock-throwing incident, snapped photos of wrecked car, affidavit says * Doctors at two Queens hospitals vote to authorize a strike Advertisement New York FOUR SIBLINGS KILLED IN FIERY NEW YORK PARKWAY CRASH HAD LONG HISTORY OF PANHANDLING, ANGRY RELATIVES TELL THE NEWS: (EXCLUSIVE) By Ellen Moynihan, Emma Seiwell, Leonard Greene and Barry Paddock New York Daily News • Apr 28, 2023 at 12:16 pm TODAY'S TOP VIDEOS The four siblings killed in a fiery New York parkway crash along with their unlicensed teenage cousin had a long history of panhandling across at least three states, heartbroken angry relatives and neighbors tell the Daily News. Investigators suspect, in fact, they were out begging the day they died. They have recovered surveillance footage that appears to show the children panhandling at New Jersey mall hours before the March 19 crash, according to local reports. In their hunt for handouts, the young siblings ranging in age from 8 to 17, found themselves alone far from home on a winding road to their polyamorous parents’ home in Derby, Connecticut with their cousin behind the wheel. 1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE PLAY Top Stories 01:12 Video Settings Full Screen About Connatix V263049 Escaped Mississippi inmate Jerry Raynescaptured in Texas after 5 days on the run “They were sent up to New Jersey that day to panhandle ... That’s why they were so far away,” one relative told the Daily News, breaking down in tears. Relatives who spoke to The News, who asked not to be named for fear of angering the victims’ parents during a difficult time, painted a haunting picture of an unconventional family where the children didn’t go to school, their father and his “two wives” lived together under one roof and the kids spent time panhandling. “I’m so mad. I’m so angry. I hope they’re somewhere in the afterlife getting better treatment than they did on earth,” the relative said. There were warning signs of trouble before the crash. Authorities had been involved with the family as long as nine months ago when cops and child welfare were alerted after the kids were spotted begging in a Connecticut shopping plaza, a police report obtained by The News shows. 1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE PLAY Top Stories 01:12 Video Settings Full Screen About Connatix V263049 Escaped Mississippi inmate Jerry Raynescaptured in Texas after 5 days on the run Child welfare agents had already met with family members, including several of the children who perished, weeks before the crash “based on an alleged incident that occurred in New York,” officials previously said. After interviewing several of the children, no further actions was deemed necessary. Malik Smith, Anthony Billips Jr., Zahnyiah Cross, Shawnell Cross and Andrew Billips were killed in the crash. (Facebook/Anthony Billips) A FIERY CRASH Authorities said 16-year-old Malik Smith, who didn’t even have a learner’s permit, was at the wheel of the rented 2021 Nissan Rogue with no adult on board when he failed to navigate a curve of the Hutchinson River Parkway just north of the Mamaroneck Road exit at about 12:20 a.m. The doomed SUV hit a boulder and struck a tree before bursting into flames. Cops believe an exhausted Malik likely fell asleep. Malik died in the crash along with his cousins: Anthony Billips Jr., 17, Zahnyiah Cross, 12, Shawnell Cross 11, and Andrew Billips, 8. A lone survivor, 9-year old Abraham Billips, managed to escape through the broken lift gate glass. While Malik lived in Brooklyn, all the other kids are siblings who lived under the same roof in Derby, Conn., where they were being raised by Anthony Billips Sr. and two moms. Until recently, Billips Sr. lived with wife Natazia Benjamin-Billips, the mother of several of the doomed children, in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood. But in recent years he also fell for Da’Shawna Cross, who lived in Waterbury, Conn., with her own kids who died in the crash, relatives said. Malik Smith is pictured in an undated photo. (GoFundMe) About nine months ago the two mothers and Billips Sr. all relocated with their kids to a house in Derby to live together, with Billips now stepfather to Cross’ children. “That’s when everything went downhill,” one relative said. “Their living quarters were cramped ... The house was filthy. In a now-deleted Facebook post mourning his children, Billips Sr. calls both mothers his “wives.” In what he called “the most painful post I ever had to write in my life” he lamented losing “our precious kids in a fatal car accident.” In happier times, a visibly pregnant Cross posed in front of a Christmas tree with Billips and Benjamin-Billips, who both have a hand on her stomach as they smile for the camera in a 2021 Facebook post. The Daily News spoke to relatives of Billips and the two mothers. “They were making ends meet by making the children work,” one relative said. “They were sending the kids out to surrounding areas.” A News reporter knocked on the Billips family’s door in Derby this week to ask them about allegations of the children panhandling unsupervised and not attending school. The parents declined to comment. From left, Natazia Benjamin-Billips, Da’Shawna Cross and Anthony Billips Sr. (Facebook) PANHANDLING IN NJ, CONNECTICUT Investigators have obtained surveillance video from a New Jersey shopping center hours before the crash showing the children interacting with people in a way that suggests they were panhandling, CBS New York was first to report. Westchester cops did not return requests for comment from the Daily News about the report. A police report obtained by the Daily News from cops in Milford, Conn., reveals underage members of the family were left alone to beg for money last August. A strand of five imitation flowers, representing the five victims, is pictured in front of the family’s building in Derby, Conn., on March 21, 2023. (Emma Seiwell/for New York Daily News) Local cops responded to a parking lot on Boston Post Road on a report of children asking people for money and food. There they encountered four juveniles and 17-year-old Billips Jr., all carrying clipboards and flyers claiming they were raising money for a basketball team. According to the police report, Billips Jr. was “extremely guarded” and offered conflicting information regarding his age. When cops reached his father Anthony Sr. by phone he said he was unable to pick them up, saying his kids had planned to take the bus when they finished fundraising for their team. When cops reached the childrens’ mother, Benjamin-Billips, she said she would send a Lyft for them, the report states. But cops were unwilling to release the kids unsupervised and instead took them to Milford Police Headquarters where a child welfare worker interviewed them. The worker also interviewed Benjamin-Billips when she eventually arrived to pick up the kids, noting the agency would be in touch to follow up. Front page of the New York Daily News for March 26, 2023: Loss of five youths in Hutchinson Parkway horror hits hard from Connecticut to Brooklyn. Victims of tragedy: Malik Smith (top), Zahnyiah Cross and Shawnell Cross (above left), Anthony Billips Jr. (above) and Andrew Billips (bottom left). (New York Daily News) “MY HEART’S BROKEN” None of the Derby children involved in the crash were enrolled in school there, according to Derby Superintendent Matthew Conway. “They pulled them out of school,” a relative told the Daily News. “A grandmother had questioned them about it but they assured her that they were homeschooling the children.” “My heart’s broken in many pieces,” a second relative told the Daily News. “I didn’t find out they were not in school until just recently.” “I just want justice for those kids,” one said through tears. Former neighbors in East New York say the panhandling had been going on for years. “Outside. Around the neighborhood, by the trains,” said a Brooklyn neighbor who knows the family and asked that their name not be used. ”It’s been since they were young.” The neighbor said she was left heartbroken when she encountered one of the kids’ cousins in the street begging. “He said, ‘I just really am hungry, if you could just give me a dollar to buy something to eat.’” she recalled. But the boy became embarrassed when he realized she knew his family. “He went to walk away,” she said. “And I was like ‘No, if you need money, I’m gonna give it to you.’ I gave him money. Like two dollars. He was so skinny. I definitely believed him because he was so skinny.” Neighbors in Connecticut also saw children from the family begging in recent years. “There was two of them that stood in that intersection and stopped cars, bumming for money,” said Edward Randall, 78, who lived across the street from members of the family during the time they lived in Waterbury. “They stopped me a couple times. They said they were bumming money for basketball. They had papers but there was nothing written on them.” “They used to ask for money for basketball,” said another Waterbury neighbor who asked that her name not be used. “One time they knocked on my door and asked and my mom gave them money. My mom kind of didn’t think it was legit but she knew that they were going through something so she helped them.” The relative said the new details prompted a call to Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families. A lit candle sits on the steps of the family's home in Derby, Conn., on March 21, 2023. (Emma Seiwell/for New York Daily News) BREAKING NEWS As it happens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. > Neighbors in East New York told The News ACS workers knocked on their doors multiple times in the months before the crash. “There was nothing learned in the interviews which warranted further Connecticut DCF involvement,” DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said in a statement after the crash. But relatives said the agency obviously missed something. “I alerted DCF when I found out about the situation,” said the relative who placed a call after the children died. “I tried to call the detective and left a voicemail giving them a brief rundown of what I know.” A DCF spokesman did not reply to a request for comment on the new revelations about the family. A GoFundMe created by the Derby parents to raise money “to help bury our children” has taken in $67,557 in donations. 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Sign Up or Log In * Profile * Newsletters * Sign Out * Advertise with us(Opens in new window) * E-Newspaper * Daily News E-Newspaper(Opens in new window) * Evening Edition(Opens in new window) * Newsletters(Opens in new window) * Subscriber Services(Opens in new window) * Subscriber Services(Opens in new window) * EZ Pay(Opens in new window) * Delivery Issue(Opens in new window) * Subscriber Terms(Opens in new window) * About Us * Help Center * Contact Us * 100th Anniversary * Branded Content * Advertising by Ascend(Opens in new window) * Paid Partner Content(Opens in new window) * Paid Content By Brandpoint(Opens in new window) * Comics * Coronavirus * Fun & Games(Opens in new window) * Jumble Daily(Opens in new window) * Cookie Crush(Opens in new window) * Daily Crossword(Opens in new window) * Bubble Shooter Pro(Opens in new window) * Horoscopes * Jobs * Place an ad(Opens in new window) * Career advice(Opens in new window) * Find a job(Opens in new window) * Freelance jobs(Opens in new window) * Justice Story * Lifestyle * Health * Eats * Puzzles and Games(Opens in new window) * Viva * New York * Manhattan * Bronx * Brooklyn * Queens * NYC Crime * Hometown Heroes * Black History Month * Education * New York Politics(Opens in new window) * Obituaries(Opens in new window) * Weather * News * Crime * U.S. * Politics * World * Obituaries(Opens in new window) * Death notice listings(Opens in new window) * Place a notice(Opens in new window) * Opinion * Editorial Cartoons(Opens in new window) * Photos * Photos(Opens in new window) * Covers(Opens in new window) * Real Estate * Place an ad(Opens in new window) * Real Estate news and advice(Opens in new window) * Real Estate Listings(Opens in new window) * Snyde * Special Sections * Sports * Yankees * Mets * Giants * Jets * Knicks * Nets * Liberty * Rangers * Islanders * Football * Basketball * Baseball * Hockey * Soccer * More Sports * The Hook * The Back Page(Opens in new window) * Travel * Travel Offers * U.S. Politics(Opens in new window) * More(Opens in new window) * Automotive * Classifieds * En español * Photo requests, reprints(Opens in new window) * Consumer Reviews * Contests * Daily News archives(Opens in new window) * Privacy Policy(Opens in new window) * Public Notices(Opens in new window) * TAG disclosure(Opens in new window) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE NOW Get full access * Four siblings killed in fiery New York parkway crash had long history of panhandling, angry relatives tell the News: (EXCLUSIVE) * E. Jean Carroll fights back during cross-examination in Trump civil rape trial: ‘He raped me whether I screamed or not’ * Texas man fatally shot fake parking lot attendant for scamming him out of $40, then chowed down on burgers with date * Mother, two girls die in fast moving Brooklyn fire * Man stabbed in stomach in random ice pick attack on Brooklyn subway * Cruella DeSantis: Florida’s governor vs. Disney, and the Constitution * Federal raid targets Brooklyn’s Red Hook Houses in gang takedown * Mike Lupica: Pat Riley and the Heat wake echoes of ‘90s Knicks at the Garden * Abortion bans fail in deep red states Nebraska and South Carolina, signaling major election headache for Republicans * Bronx man dies 12 days after vicious stabbing: police * Outburst of sobs followed fatal Brooklyn stabbing in clash between teen romantic rivals * NYC Mayor Adams’ top lawyer, communications director leaving administration this summer: sources * Long Island officials reach agreement to lease Nassau Coliseum to Sands for casino bid * Suspects made ‘blood brothers’ pact after fatal Colorado rock-throwing incident, snapped photos of wrecked car, affidavit says * Doctors at two Queens hospitals vote to authorize a strike More stories to check out before you go Keep on reading Utah man who killed wife, 5 kids, mother-in-law blamed them for his violence in suicide noteA Utah man who murdered his wife, their five children and his mother-in-law before turning the gun on himself blamed his family for the violent massacre.NY Daily News Group 3 Republicans weigh in on Trump indictment, say he should drop out of 2024 race: ‘It’s a sad day for America’Donald Trump, the first former president ever criminally indicted, should not run for the White House again or even testify at his own trial, his fellow Republicans said Sunday.NY Daily News Group 3 NYC correction officer who smuggled for Bloods boyfriend at Rikers accused of sneaking more goods to him in Brooklyn federal lockupKrystle Burrell, 36, didn’t let the threat of federal prison time stop her from doing everything she could to keep Bloods member Terrae Hinds stocked up with goods to sell as he sits in the Metropolitan Detention Center, say Brooklyn federal prosecutors.NY Daily News Group 3 Ex-Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway met with Manhattan prosecutors in Trump probe: reportThe Manhattan DA’s office has been conducting a wide-ranging investigation into Trump and his business dealings for over three years.NY Daily News Group 3 ' ' ' ' ' ' Woman raped, beaten on Brooklyn street by stranger who tried to panhandle from herThe 49-year-old victim was walking near 27th St. and Fifth Ave. in Sunset Park when the assailant asked her for money about 3 a.m. Saturday, cops said.NY Daily News VIDEO: NYPD cop bashed in head with bottle, pummeled by stranger in unprovoked Bronx attackThe victim and her NYPD partner were standing in front of All Car Service on 231st St. in Kingsbridge when the attacker, wearing blue jeans and a hoodie, approached just before 2 p.m. Monday, the video obtained by the Daily News shows.NY Daily News Mother of Virginia 6-year-old who shot his teacher arrested for felony child neglectThe mother of a 6-year-old Virginia boy who used her gun to blast his teacher in the chest has been arrested. 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