By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
Since January 2023, when Gov. Wes Moore took office, Maryland has continued to lose some of its most vulnerable children — not to mysterious forces, not to invisible systems — but to abuse, neglect, dysfunction, and bureaucratic failure inside systems that exist specifically to protect them.
The numbers are not partisan. They are public.
And they are damning.
The Hard Numbers
According to corrected data from the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) and federal Child Maltreatment reports:
- 47 child maltreatment fatalities in FFY 2023
- 46 child maltreatment fatalities in FFY 2024
These are deaths confirmed to involve abuse or neglect.
When prorated through early 2026 — using stable annual trends — the estimate reaches approximately:
140–150 child maltreatment fatalities since Moore took office.
These are not “all child deaths.”
These are not “random tragedies.”
These are cases where abuse or neglect was indicated as a contributing factor.
Even after Maryland corrected prior federal overreporting errors (which had inflated FFY 2023 to 83 before revision), the corrected totals still hover between 40–50 children per year.
That stability is not comforting.
It is indicting.
Foster Care: The System That Failed Kanaiyah Ward
Foster care deaths are statistically rare nationwide — less than 1% of maltreatment fatalities involve foster parents or facility staff.
But rarity offers no comfort to a dead child.
In September 2025, 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward died by suicide/overdose while placed in an unlicensed hotel arrangement used by DHS for foster youth.
An unlicensed hotel.
Under state oversight.
That occurred during Moore’s administration.
When the system resorts to warehousing traumatized children in hotels because it lacks licensed placements, that is not reform. That is collapse disguised as management.
Juvenile Justice: Youth Under Supervision, Still Dying
Under the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS):
- 8 youth homicides under supervision in 2023
- 4 youth homicides under supervision in 2024 (Jan–Nov)
No deaths occurred inside detention facilities, but these were still youth under state supervision in community placements.
Estimated total since January 2023:
Approximately 15–20 homicides of youth under DJS supervision.
These are not abstract policy debates.
These were teenagers known to the state.
The Reporting Scandal
The state’s child fatality reporting system was itself flawed.
For years, Maryland incorrectly reported investigated cases — not just confirmed cases — to the federal NCANDS system. That inflated fatality totals in public reports. When corrected, the numbers dropped.
But here is the uncomfortable truth:
The correction did not reveal improvement.
It revealed bureaucratic incompetence.
Roughly one-third of required internal fatality review documents (Form 1080 reports) were missing in 2023–2024.
Missing.
For child death reviews.
This happened during the tenure of an administration that campaigns on data-driven governance.
No Spike — Just No Progress
Supporters will argue:
“There’s no upward trend.”
Correct. There is no confirmed spike under Moore.
But that may be worse.
Maryland remains above the national average in child maltreatment fatality rates — roughly 3.45 per 100,000 children compared to a national average near 2.73.
Flat numbers in the face of known structural failures are not a success story.
They are evidence of stagnation.
Where Is the Moral Urgency?
The Moore administration routinely speaks about:
- Equity
- Systems reform
- Structural justice
- Trauma-informed governance
But the most vulnerable children in Maryland — abused, neglected, supervised, warehoused — continue to die at steady rates.
Roughly 40 to 50 children per year.
That is nearly one child per week.
And it barely registers in Annapolis press conferences.
What Accountability Looks Like
Accountability would mean:
- Full public fatality review transparency
- Audit of hotel foster placements
- Independent review of DJS community supervision failures
- Legislative hearings on missing Form 1080 documentation
- Clear reduction targets with measurable benchmarks
Instead, Maryland offers explanations.
Children deserve outcomes.
The Bottom Line
Since January 2023, an estimated:
- 140–150 children have died due to confirmed abuse or neglect
- At least one foster youth died in a state-arranged unlicensed placement
- Approximately 15–20 youth under juvenile justice supervision were homicide victims
These were children known to the system.
The state cannot control every tragedy.
But when tragedy becomes statistically routine, it becomes governance.
Maryland’s most vulnerable deserve more than slogans.
They deserve a system that works.
And until those numbers meaningfully decline, no administration — Republican or Democrat — should be allowed to celebrate “progress.”
If you have information regarding systemic failures within Maryland’s child welfare or juvenile justice systems, contact MDBayNews securely.
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