Thomas Valva’s mother fights foreclosure as settlement stalls

Valley Stream mom faces foreclosure despite large settlement agreement reached four months ago with Suffolk County.

The mother of the Center Moriches boy who froze to death in his father’s garage in 2020 has launched a GoFundMe campaign as a last-ditch effort to save her home from foreclosure — despite having reached a reportedly multi-million settlement agreement with Suffolk County and other defendants five months ago.

Justyna Zubko-Valva, mother of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, faces the loss of her Valley Stream home with her two surviving sons as settlement funds remain unpaid, she wrote in the fundraising campaign, “Help Justyna Save Her Home and Children’s Education.”

More than $12,000 in donations have poured into the effort so far. Zubko-Valva said the settlement funds, agreed upon in September have still not been disbursed, leaving her and her two surviving sons facing the loss of their home with a court foreclosure proceeding happening this month.

A tragedy that shocked Long Island

Thomas Valva’s death just over six years ago — on a cold winter day, Jan 17, 2020 — sparked widespread outrage and calls for systemic reform in Suffolk’s Child Protective Services.

Thomas, who was on the autism spectrum, died of hypothermia after being forced to sleep overnight in an unheated garage at his father’s Bittersweet Lane home, where outdoor temperatures had plunged to 19 degrees.

Surveillance video from the home captured Thomas and his 10-year-old brother Anthony shivering in the freezing garage. At the time of his death, Thomas’s body temperature was recorded at just 76 degrees.

Teachers at East Moriches Elementary School had repeatedly reported signs of abuse, including malnutrition, bruises and the boys being so hungry that they ate crumbs off the floor.

In November 2022, Thomas’ father, Michael Valva — then an officer with the NYPD — was convicted of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Months later, his former fiancée, Angela Pollina, was convicted on the same charges. She also received a sentence of 25 years to life.

During Pollina’s sentencing, Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Timothy Mazzei noted her lack of remorse, apology or confession with had harsh words: “It wasn’t until I saw and heard what you said and did in this trial that I think we all realized how evil you really are.”

Five-year legal battle

Zubko-Valva filed a $200 million federal lawsuit in June 2020 against Suffolk County, multiple Child Protective Services workers, East Moriches school officials, court-appointed attorneys, and others, alleging they failed to protect Thomas despite repeated warnings of neglect and abuse.

Newsday reported late in January that the $9 million settlement reached between Suffolk, the other defendants and Zubko-Valva could be in jeopardy because Zubko-Valva and her attorney are at odds.

“Unfortunately, Michael Valva was always extremely protected by the Court during all our matrimonial proceedings, and never punished by the Court for purposely failing to fulfill his Court ordered financial obligations, despite the existence of three Contempt of Court motions filed by me in our divorce action,” she wrote.

Zubko-Valva, who noted that she provides round-the-clock care to her two surviving sons — both victims of severe abuse — said she cannot return to work. She had hoped to use the settlement funds to pay off the mortgage and save the home.

The unpaid principal due on her home exceeds $217,000, according to documents she shared on the GoFundMe page.

Children’s education at risk

Beyond the threat of homelessness, Zubko-Valva said her boys face the potential loss of their specialized educational placements if the family loses their home.

“What makes the matter even worst, and deeply breaks my heart is the fact that my two surviving children, who were subjected in the past to so much pain and suffering from the hands of their brutal abusers, are also currently in danger of losing their valuable educational placements that they have been attending for many years if we lose our house due to foreclosure,” she wrote.

The boys, who Zubko-Valva noted were subjected to years of physical, mental and sexual abuse, have been receiving specialized education that addresses their special needs and supports their healing process.

The Thomas Valva case exposed significant failures in Suffolk County’s child protection system. Despite teachers and school staff making repeated calls to Child Protective Services — including a coordinated effort to “flood” the CPS reporting line — the boys remained in the home.

In November 2024, Suffolk County officials announced reforms including “blind removal” protocols, which restrict caseworkers from knowing personal details about a child’s family background to prevent bias.

She concluded with a request for prayers: “Also, we would be so grateful for your continuous prayers for justice, God’s protection and guidance in those difficult matters. ‘If God is for us, who can be against us.'”

The community has rallied around the Valva family since Thomas’ death. In January 2021, on the first anniversary of his death, East Moriches Elementary School installed blue lighting in the school tower, and hundreds of community members displayed blue ribbons and installed blue porch lights as part of the “Go Blue” campaign to raise child abuse awareness.

In September 2021, the school dedicated a blue memorial bench in Thomas’s honor, reading “IN LOVING MEMORY OF THOMAS VALVA.”

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