10-year-old found with no pulse, NY officials said. Mom’s boyfriend sentenced

A 38-year-old man has been sentenced for fatally beating his girlfriend’s 10-year-old son, New York officials said.

In January 2021, Ayden Wolfe, 10, moved with his mom into the home of her boyfriend, Ryan Cato, according to an April 25 news release by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Wolfe was “isolated from teachers” and was going to elementary school remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

Soon after moving in, Ayden was forced to hold weights above his head while Cato would punch him, film the abuse and send it to friends, officials said.

In March 2021, Ayden’s mother heard a “loud bang,” and when ordering Cato to stop, he threatened her, officials said.

Ayden’s mom heard “loud banging and thuds” again the following day and eventually called 911 before Cato took the phone from her, prosecutors said.

When officers arrived, they found Ayden naked on the apartment’s floor with no pulse, officials said.

He was sent to Harlem Hospital, where he eventually died, officials said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office determined his cause of death was battered child syndrome as he had a lacerated spleen, a lacerated liver, broken ribs, bruises and hemorrhaging, among other injuries, officials said.

In March, a jury convicted Cato of murder and endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.

On April 25, he was sentenced to 25 years to life, officials said.

This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 6:37 PM with the headline "10-year-old found with no pulse, NY officials said. Mom’s boyfriend sentenced."