The man accused of severly beating a 3-year-old boy in Brooklyn in late-November was formally arraigned on criminal charges Friday.
Salvatore Lucchesse, 24, the boyfriend of Jaden Jordan's mother, is charged with assault for fracturing Jayden's skull.
The toddler was found unconscious and covered in feces on Nov. 28.
He died days later after being taken off life support last weekend.
Police say they think charges could be upgraded to murder.
The city's child welfare agency is facing scrutiny over the case.
The administration for children's services (ACS) said it received an anonymous report on the case, but the tipster gave officials the wrong address.
The department of investigation has been looking into oversight failures at ACS since May.