ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — A bill named after the teen girl who died while under the state of Maryland’s care is set for a hearing in a Senate committee Thursday, and the girl’s family will testify in support.
Kanaiyah Ward, 16, died by suicide while in foster care and placed in a Baltimore City hotel in September 2025. Ward’s family turned to the state for help given the girl’s mental health struggles. She was placed in and out of various treatment programs before she was in the hotel.
A caregiver contracted to supervise Ward went to wake her up around 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 22 to go to school, according to the police report released by Baltimore Police. Ward previously lived with her family in Prince George’s County but was enrolled as a 10th-grade student at Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts in Baltimore City.
An autopsy report, obtained by FOX45 News, revealed Ward’s death was considered a suicide, caused by an overdose of the active ingredient in Benadryl.
The Maryland Department of Human Services cut ties with the company hired to supervise Ward – Fenwick Behavioral Services. According to an internal investigation, the contractor was assigned to work a 53-hour shift to supervise Ward; the DHS report identified three Fenwick staff members responsible for neglect, citing a failure to provide proper supervision, and for failing to properly secure medications inside the hotel room.
On Thursday, Ward’s mom is expected to testify in support of House Bill 980, led by Del. Mike Griffith. The legislation is dubbed Kanaiyah’s Law.
Griffith, a Republican representing Cecil and Harford Counties, has been outspoken in support of foster care reforms for months. He spent most of his teen years in the foster care system.
“Too often, foster children are treated like second-class citizens, as if they don’t matter. Where is the outrage in the community or in the Administration? If I had left my child alone in a hotel room and they died of an overdose, I would be arrested,” Griffith said. “If Kanaiyah had died in police custody, there would be protests and press conferences. She deserves more from a state that completely failed her.”
Griffith’s bill now has more than 50 co-sponsors from legislators spanning the political spectrum. While DHS stopped placing children in unlicensed settings – like hotels – after Ward’s death, Griffith’s bill seeks to codify the policy change.
The legislation also would establish the Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman within the Office of Attorney General and implement various reporting requirements for a child to ensure a local department of social services has the information.
“There is nothing we can do to fix what happened to Kanaiyah; there is nothing that can bring her back,” said Griffith. “But her tragic passing can be a call to action to improve the conditions of vulnerable foster children across our state. Maryland’s foster care system can never again be allowed to fail a child the way it failed Kanaiyah.”
The bill will be heard on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 at 1 p.m. in the House Judiciary Committee.
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