By JT Moodee Lockman, Janay Reece
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A 16-year-old girl who was in the custody of the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) was found dead in a Baltimore hotel, according to police.
Officers said Kanaiyah Ward was found dead at a hotel in the 800 block of North Wolfe Street on Monday, Sept. 22.
Her cause of death has not yet been determined, but police said the case is listed as questionable, as there were no signs of foul play or trauma.
DHS said it is investigating Ward’s death and said it would hold its contractors accountable if it finds that their standards for care were not met.
“The well-being of Maryland’s children is our top priority, and we will not rest until every child in our state is safe, thriving in a permanent home, and surrounded by loving family,” the agency said in a statement.
Maryland lawmakers react
News of the teen’s death shocked all sides of the political spectrum in the state.
Maryland House Minority Leader Jason Buckel said the incident is “as tragic as it is outrageous.”
“Had this occurred a week ago, it would seem like a terrible but isolated incident. Coming on the heels of the DHS audit last week, we know this is not the case,” Buckel said in a statement. “This appears to be another horrific example of the failure of this department to keep children safe, this time with fatal consequences.”
Ward’s death comes after that audit found that the Maryland Social Services Administration and DHS failed to protect some children in its care from sex offenders and provide basic medical needs to thousands of minors.
“We take the findings of this audit with the utmost seriousness,” Maryland’s Secretary of Human Services, Rafael López, said in response to the audit. “In the one-and-a-half years of the four-year audit period during which I served as Secretary, our leadership team has moved with urgency and challenged the status quo not only with the Social Services Administration, but across the entire department.”
Sen. Clarence Lam, a Democrat who represents Howard and Anne Arundel Counties, previously chaired the audit committee and called the entire incident heartbreaking.
“It’s still early to know the details of what happened here,” said Lam. “I think this is a really tragic case. I think any time that a young individual dies under the state’s care, it is the responsibility that we all have to get to the bottom of what happened here.”
Lam added, “The audit that came last week has indicated that there are many repeat audit findings from several years ago that extend all the way back to 2017.”
Gov. Wes Moore addressed the DHS audit on Monday, saying that the issues with the department did not begin with his administration.
“While these problems might have happened before our administration came on board, we are committed to making sure that they’re being addressed in our time,” Moore said.
Social Services Administration, DHS audit
The audit, carried out by the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee, also highlighted that children in the care of DHS were being housed in hotels. In one case, a contracted worker had a prior murder conviction in one of the hotels.
“It’s very difficult, I think, for the state to continue to monitor how these children are doing in these types of locations,” Lam said. “In an ideal world, you know, I would hope that we can move away from housing children in hotels and motels, moving forward.”
During a meeting with the state spending board a week before the audit was released, López said the agency has made progress in getting children out of hotels, saying the state moved with “great urgency.”
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