ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — What does accountability look like for a teen girl who died in foster care after a state’s investigation found contractors were negligent, and the top local prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges? That’s the question many are trying to answer after Kanaiyah Ward died while under the state of Maryland’s supervision.
Ward, 16, was found dead in a Baltimore City hotel on Sept. 22, 2025, after years of struggling with her mental and behavioral health. Ward’s death was ruled a suicide stemming from an overdose of the active ingredient in Benadryl.
The Department of Human Services contracted Fenwick Behavioral Services, a Towson-based company, to provide one-to-one supervisors for Ward. Three Fenwick employees were found to be negligent, according to a report from DHS obtained by FOX45 News through a public records request.
One Fenwick employee was staying with Ward in the hotel over the weekend. However, the employee was required to work much longer than expected due to an employee sick call. The employee ended up staying on the clock for approximately 53 hours.
The employee attempted to wake Ward up at 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 22, but Ward didn’t get up, according to the DHS report. Around 10 a.m., the employee noticed Ward was no longer breathing. She was pronounced dead just after 11 a.m.
The negligence findings were forward to Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates’ Office for further review; however, Bates said his office would not pursue criminal charges.
“We can’t hold this worker responsible criminally from what we could tell,” Bates said. “I’m sure some attorneys already jumped on it. I think there are some concerns, and I can understand why a civil attorney would potentially file a lawsuit.”
So far, a civil lawsuit has yet to be filed.
“What happened to Ms. Ward is a tragedy. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it – it’s unacceptable,” Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday when asked about the findings in the DHS report. “I believe there needs to be accountability for what happened to Ms. Ward and it’s the reason why we referred this to the local state’s attorney for further examination.”
But when pushed on the fact that Bates declined to bring criminal charges, and asked what accountability looks like now, Moore said he couldn’t comment on “open cases” or the decision from Bates.
“My personal belief? There has to be accountability for what happened to Ms. Ward,” Bates said.
In addition to the investigative report detailing Fenwick’s negligence, FOX45’s public records request included communications between top DHS staffers in the days and weeks following Ward’s death. Despite receiving the report through the same records request, the communications have yet to be produced by DHS.
One day after FOX45 News brought up the issue on television, DHS provided two text messages and a letter saying the agency identified more than 660 emails matching the request. However, DHS said it will cost them approximately $944 to produce the materials.
Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.
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