The Center Moriches house where 8-year-old Thomas Valva lived–a boy who died of hypothermia after being forced to sleep in a freezing garage by his father–was put up for auction on Wednesday by the bank that foreclosed on it. The live auction for 11 Bittersweet Lane took place at Brookhaven Town Hall.
No one showed any interest in buying the property, which was listed for $525,000. The house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, but also a tragic history that may have deterred potential buyers. Thomas Valva’s death sparked outrage and calls for justice, as well as investigations into the child welfare system that failed to protect him and his brothers from their abusive father.
Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico, who is also a real estate agent and served as the referee for the auction, told Patch that there were “no bidders. The property has been transferred back to M&T Bank. That bank will ultimately decide the next steps.”
In past months, many community members have expressed the opinion that what has been called “the house of horrors” where Thomas and his brother suffered for years at the hands of their father and stepmother should be razed, with a public park or memorial created to honor Thomas’ memory.
“There are no plans for a park, and from what I have seen the idea has been met with mixed reaction,” Panico told Patch.
Ex-NYPD Officer Michael Valva, the boys’ father, and his ex-fiancée Angela Pollina were arrested Jan. 24, 2020, and charged with second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
Valva was convicted of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child in November; he was also sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars in December.
The jury reached a unanimous verdict in April in Pollina ‘s trial, finding her guilty of second-degree murder in Thomas’s death. She was also found guilty of four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Pollina was sentenced to 25 years to life; she was also sentenced to a year each for the other four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
This was not the first time that the house went up for sale. Earlier this year, the property was listed for an auction scheduled for the same day that Pollina, who was found guilty in his death, was set for sentencing. According to a post by Xome.com that has since been deleted, the Valva/Pollina home, located at 11 Bittersweet Lane, was initially slated to be “sold through the applicable foreclosure auction process,” on April 11, at 11 a.m. The in-person auction was to be held at the April foreclosure sale at Brookhaven Town Hall, the site said.
However, that auction was not found online soon after — and the property was listed again as a short sale.
A second attempt was made in April and the the Center Moriches home had a potential buyer. The sale was listed as “pending.” However, that deal also fell though.
September 14 marked what would have been Thomas Valva’s birthday. He would have been 12 years old. A bench in his memory outside Thomas’ elementary school was covered with baby’s breath, balloons, and bows, in memory of a little boy who touched countless lives.
