By Michael Phillips | Father & Co.
When children die inside systems designed to protect them, politics should stop.
The conversation should not be red vs. blue.
It should be: What broke? Who knew? And how do we fix it?
Since January 2023, Maryland has continued to report child maltreatment fatalities at a rate that demands serious attention — not partisan shouting, but structural reform.
The Numbers We Cannot Ignore
According to corrected data from the Maryland Department of Human Services and federal Child Maltreatment reports:
- 47 confirmed maltreatment fatalities in FFY 2023
- 46 confirmed maltreatment fatalities in FFY 2024
These figures reflect cases where abuse or neglect was confirmed as a contributing factor in a child’s death.
When prorated through early 2026, that places the estimated total since Governor Wes Moore took office at approximately 140–150 child maltreatment deaths.
Important context matters:
- These are not all child deaths.
- These are not accidental illnesses unrelated to caregivers.
- These are confirmed cases involving abuse or neglect.
- Roughly one-third of these children had prior involvement with child welfare services.
That last point should give everyone pause.
Foster Care and Emergency Placements
Foster care fatalities remain statistically rare nationwide. Less than 1% of maltreatment deaths nationally involve foster parents or facility staff as perpetrators.
But even one is too many.
In September 2025, 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward died by suicide/overdose while in an unlicensed hotel placement arranged under state oversight.
Hotel placements for foster youth are typically emergency measures used when licensed foster homes or therapeutic placements are unavailable. The use of such placements highlights capacity strain in Maryland’s child welfare system.
When children already facing trauma are placed in temporary, unstable environments, the risk compounds.
That is not an attack. It is a warning.
Juvenile Justice: Youth Known to the State
Under the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS):
- 8 youth under supervision were homicide victims in calendar year 2023
- 4 youth under supervision were homicide victims in 2024 (January–November)
There have been no reported deaths inside detention facilities during this period.
But these were still young people under state supervision — known to the system, assessed, monitored.
Community supervision is difficult work. Many of these youth face complex risk factors, including neighborhood violence and prior trauma.
But the question remains:
Are intervention resources keeping pace with risk?
The Reporting Breakdown
Maryland’s reporting system itself revealed troubling gaps.
In early 2025, DHS acknowledged that prior federal submissions had mistakenly included investigated cases rather than only confirmed maltreatment fatalities. Corrections were submitted.
Even more concerning: approximately one-third of required internal fatality review documents (Form 1080 reports) were missing for 2023–2024 cases.
Fatality reviews are not paperwork formalities.
They are prevention tools.
Without complete reviews, lessons are lost.
No Dramatic Spike — But No Clear Decline
Supporters of the current administration point out that there has been no major upward surge in confirmed fatalities under Governor Moore.
That is true.
But the rate also has not meaningfully declined.
Maryland’s corrected fatality rate remains above the national average.
Stable numbers may suggest systemic continuity — not crisis escalation, but not reform success either.
When the system was already under strain before 2023, maintaining the status quo is not victory.
For Parents, This Is Personal
At Father & Co., we write about family courts, custody battles, child welfare, and the deep fractures that occur when systems intervene — or fail to intervene — in family life.
Many parents fear state overreach.
Others fear state neglect.
Both fears can be true at the same time.
The child welfare system walks a tightrope:
- Remove a child too quickly, and families are unnecessarily torn apart.
- Fail to act decisively, and children remain in danger.
The data suggests Maryland continues to struggle with that balance.
What Real Reform Would Look Like
This is not about scoring points against any governor.
It is about outcomes.
Real reform would include:
- Full transparency on fatality reviews
- Clear data dashboards accessible to the public
- Measurable reduction targets
- Independent audits of emergency placements
- Investment in prevention services before crisis escalates
Prevention must become more than a slogan.
The Bottom Line
Since January 2023:
- Approximately 140–150 confirmed child maltreatment fatalities
- At least one foster youth death in an emergency placement
- Approximately 15–20 youth homicides involving individuals under juvenile justice supervision
These children were not invisible to the system.
They were known.
Every administration inherits problems. No governor controls every tragic outcome.
But leadership is measured not only by vision statements — it is measured by whether the most vulnerable become safer over time.
Maryland’s children deserve a measurable decline in these numbers.
Not explanations.
Not corrections.
Not press releases.
Results.
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Father & Co. exists to support parents navigating separation, custody, and systems that are often confusing, isolating, or overwhelming. This work is grounded in lived experience, careful research, and respect for the real stakes families face.
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