The father of Lyric McHenry’s baby has never been publicly identified. McHenry, a 26-year-old reality television personality and Stanford graduate, was found dead on a Bronx sidewalk on August 14, 2018, and the New York City medical examiner determined she was approximately 20 weeks pregnant at the time.1ELLE. Lyric McHenry Death Investigation Her family said they did not know who the father was, and the available reporting does not indicate that he was ever found or came forward.
What the Family Knew About the Pregnancy
The pregnancy was a surprise to everyone close to her. Her father, the film producer Doug McHenry, told NBC News that he had no idea his daughter was pregnant and that no one else in the family did either until the medical examiner confirmed it.2NBC News. Police Asking for Help to Identify Man to Bring Justice for Young Woman Found The family believed Lyric herself was unaware. She was not physically showing, had not changed her lifestyle, and had not confided in anyone.
A family spokesperson, Edna Sims Porter, said the family was “baffled” and questioned how she could have been five months pregnant without anyone noticing a baby bump.3People. Lyric McHenry Family Didn’t Know About Pregnancy Early in the investigation the NYPD said it could not even confirm the pregnancy; the medical examiner later did, but the question of who fathered the child stayed open.
Doug McHenry said he was not aware of his daughter having a boyfriend and did not know who the father was, though he said that was not his priority. “I haven’t really focused on that issue,” he told NBC News. “My super priority is to find out who mistreated my daughter.”2NBC News. Police Asking for Help to Identify Man to Bring Justice for Young Woman Found McHenry’s friends also said they did not know.4Yahoo Lifestyle. Everyone Knew Lyric McHenry Was Going
Was the Man Arrested Connected to the Pregnancy?
No. In October 2018 the NYPD arrested 29-year-old Alexis Mejia-Ramirez of the Bronx and charged him with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the disposal of McHenry’s body.5The New York Times. Lyric McHenry Death Arrest Both his attorney, Frank Rothman, and McHenry’s friends confirmed that Mejia-Ramirez and McHenry had no prior relationship and were not acquainted before the night she died.4Yahoo Lifestyle. Everyone Knew Lyric McHenry Was Going Given that she was around 20 weeks pregnant, someone she had just met that night could not have been the father.
How Lyric McHenry Died
McHenry spent the evening of August 13, 2018 celebrating her 26th birthday at the PH-D Lounge inside the Dream Downtown hotel in Manhattan with her sister and friends.2NBC News. Police Asking for Help to Identify Man to Bring Justice for Young Woman Found Around 1:00 a.m. she went to the entrance to help someone being turned away by a bouncer. Told she could not re-enter, she got into a car with the man and left.1ELLE. Lyric McHenry Death Investigation Her friends and family did not see who she left with.
At about 5:05 a.m. she was found unconscious and partially clothed on a sidewalk at Boscobel Place and Undercliff Avenue in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, roughly nine miles from the hotel.5The New York Times. Lyric McHenry Death Arrest A small glassine envelope containing what appeared to be cocaine was found nearby.6The New York Times. Lyric McHenry Dead She was pronounced dead at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital shortly after 6:00 a.m.7The New York Times. Lyric McHenry Death
The medical examiner ruled the death an accident caused by “acute intoxication by the combined effects of heroin, cocaine and ethanol.”8ET Online. Lyric McHenry’s Cause of Death Revealed The autopsy also confirmed the pregnancy.1ELLE. Lyric McHenry Death Investigation
Prosecutors said surveillance cameras recorded Mejia-Ramirez waiting outside the Dream Hotel that night, that he and McHenry were seen entering a white BMW together, and that he and two other unidentified men later placed her body on the Bronx sidewalk.5The New York Times. Lyric McHenry Death Arrest Mejia-Ramirez pleaded not guilty.
What Remains Unanswered
Several threads of the case were never tied off. The identities of the two other men allegedly in the car with Mejia-Ramirez have never been publicly disclosed. Whether McHenry was still alive when the men left her on the overpass was a live question for the concealment charge, and her family argued the men’s failure to seek medical help was what made the drug intoxication fatal.1ELLE. Lyric McHenry Death Investigation
And the father of her unborn child has never been named. No reporting in the record shows that he was ever identified, that he came forward on his own, or that investigators publicly connected anyone to the pregnancy.