Kanaiyah’s Law, named after teen who died under Maryland supervision, passes on final day of session
By Adam Thompson
Click here for updates on this story
BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A Maryland bill named after 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward, who died in a Baltimore hotel room while under state supervision in 2025, passed through the General Assembly ahead of the Sine Die deadline, which marks the end of the 2026 legislative session.
Kanaiyah’s Law restricts where the state can house children and strengthens oversight of Maryland’s child welfare system.
How will Kanaiyah’s Law work? Kanaiyah’s Law would stop the placement of certain children in unlicensed settings, including shelters, offices, and hotels.
The law will expand background checks for adults living with guardians and create a new Child Welfare Ombudsman, which is an independent advocate inside the attorney general’s office to handle complaints and review child welfare practices.
In November 2025, the Maryland Department of Human Services stopped housing children in hotels. Kanaiyah’s Law will formalize those changes into law.
Report: Kanaiyah Ward was neglected
A report by the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) revealed that Ward was neglected by the caretaker who was supposed to supervise her with hourly checks.
In September 2025, the contracted worker supervising Ward was assigned to a 53-hour shift, and the teenager took her own life during that time, according to the state’s report.
According to the report, Ward overdosed on a bottle of pills containing the active ingredient in Benadryl and became unresponsive.
The hotel room was a suite, with the caretaker in the living room and Ward was in the bedroom, the report stated. After a coworker called in sick, the caretaker’s shift was extended from Saturday at 10 a.m. until Monday at 3 p.m.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.