The family of Kanaiyah Ward, a 16-year-old who died from an intentional overdose of Benadryl while placed in a hotel by Maryland’s foster care system, has filed a lawsuit alleging systemic failures and demanding accountability.
State investigators found three contractors responsible for Kanaiyah’s care had neglected their duties.
“She was in a hotel room, and when you start there, you start asking yourself questions. ‘How can that possibly be?’ The only thing that they were supposed to do was to make sure this didn’t happen,” said DeMaurice Smith, a former federal prosecutor who came out of retirement to represent Kanaiyah’s mother.
Months after Kanaiyah’s death, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office announced no criminal charges would be filed, citing a need for proof beyond a reasonable doubt — a higher standard than in civil cases.
The family’s lawsuit builds on the state’s findings, naming more than a dozen defendants, including state and county officials and the hotel, and accuses them of wrongful death and civil rights violations. The complaint describes the failures as “systemic, known and avoidable.”
“I have never in my professional career seen such gross negligence at every step of the equation here,” said Scott Lerner, one of the family’s lawyers.
“I have never in my professional career seen such gross negligence at every step.”
The family’s lawyers are demanding a jury trial, believing that the court process will uncover more details about the circumstances surrounding Kanaiyah’s death.
“One of the things that we don’t know — all of us, as residents of Maryland — is what actually happened. Forty FOIA requests, emails — thousands of them — have been redacted,” said Thomas Doyle, another lawyer for Ward’s family.
In response to the lawsuit, the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) released a statement, saying:
“We cannot comment on the specifics of this ongoing litigation due to important privacy protections. In December 2025, the department released all records that could be legally disclosed, including a finding of child neglect for employees of a one-on-one service provider tasked with caring for Kanaiyah.
“After dramatically reducing the number of children in hotels over the past three years, DHS ceased the practice entirely in November 2025. We also worked closely with the General Assembly to pass Kanaiyah’s Law, which will further strengthen the state’s child welfare system.
“We remain committed to strengthening and reforming child welfare in Maryland and will not rest until every child in our state is safe, thriving in a permanent home, and surrounded by a loving family.”
Lives Cut Short, a database started by former Child Protective Services workers turned researchers, has documented more than 5,000 deaths of children nationwide since 2022, including those in foster care.
“There is an added sort of set of responsibilities that the state assumes when they assume custody,” said Sarah Font, a professor of social work at Washington University.
“Our ability to report instances where a child died in foster care will only be as good as the information that the state releases or makes available to journalists,” said Emily Putnam-Hornstein, a distinguished professor for children in need at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
“If we don’t know the scope of the problem, we can’t start to solve it.”
Maryland law requires the state to share some information upon request but not the full file. In Kanaiyah’s case, DHS released a 59-page disclosure detailing her history, prior reports, placements and how she came to be in the hotel. However, the report does not include case notes behind the summary, details on who approved key decisions in her care, or a broader review of agency oversight.
Lives Cut Short is advocating for Maryland to release detailed reports promptly when any child dies in a suspected abuse or neglect case.
“If we don’t know the scope of the problem, we can’t start to solve it,” Font said.
“Anyone and everyone who had a hand in Kanaiyah’s care failed her,” Lerner said.
Lawyers argue the court process is just beginning to address who “had the power to act and did nothing” for Kanaiyah.
“This is for far more than money. This is empowering people to find out the truth that has never been told to them, and that’s what we intend to do,” Doyle said.
