BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Maryland has rules meant to keep children in foster care away from backyard pools. But after a 2-year-old foster care boy drowned at a foster home in Anne Arundel County, many are questioning whether those safeguards worked.
Le’Zus died Saturday, June 27, after being found in a backyard pool at his foster home in Brooklyn Park. While the home is in Anne Arundel County, Le’Zus’ and his family was working with the Baltimore City Department of Social Services.
FOX45 News asked the Maryland Department of Human Services whether the foster home was inspected for pool safety, how often homes with pools are checked for compliance, and whether investigators have determined if the home met state requirements. Some questions remain unanswered due to privacy laws.
When Maryland removed 2-year-old Le’Zus from his mother’s custody, Francesca Trull says she believed the state would keep him safe.
Now, after learning her son drowned in a backyard pool while living with foster parents, she says she’s left with grief and a growing list of unanswered questions she believes state officials need to answer.
“You took them from me to protect them,” Trull told FOX45 News. “How did you protect Le’Zus? You called me and told me my child drowned.”
In response to several questions, DHS pointed FOX45 News to several requirements outlined in state code for foster care homes with pools.
Foster parents are required to provide supervision appropriate for a child’s age and ability. Depending on whether a pool is in-ground or above ground, regulations require locked gates, fencing, removable ladders or safety covers intended to prevent young children from accessing the water.
What remains unknown is whether the foster home where Le’Zus died complied with those requirements before the tragedy.
A spokesperson for DHS previously confirmed to FOX45 News that the agency is reviewing the incident, and is working with law enforcement and community partners as the investigation continues.
“We join the community in grieving this heartbreaking tragedy,” the agency said in a statement to FOX45 News. “The safety and well-being of Maryland’s children are our highest priorities.”
However, Trull scoffed at the statement from DHS.
“If the safety and well-being of children are really the highest priority,” Trull said, “I would know how my son got out of the door. I would know why that pool wasn’t covered, why a ladder was still attached to it.”
FOX45 News has requested the police report from Anne Arundel County Police, which is leading the investigation because the foster home is located in Anne Arundel County. The department directed FOX45 to file a Maryland Public Information Act request, which has been submitted.
For Trull, the investigation is about more than determining exactly what happened that day. She said it’s about whether the foster care system charged with protecting vulnerable children will be held accountable when something goes wrong. She said she wants to see criminal charges filed against the foster care parents who were tasked with caring for Le’Zus.
Trull knows many people will judge her story because Le’Zus and her other children were in foster care.
My son’s story hurts,” she said. “Whether you like me or not, whether you agree with him being in foster care, whether the reason why he’s in foster care even matters, the biggest picture is Baltimore City is failing families, and children are being killed, left to die. They’re not here with their families.”
When asked whether people might dismiss her concerns because of her family’s involvement with the foster care system, Trull said she’s already seeing that reaction online.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, she’s an unfit mother,'” she said.
But she argues that should not change the state’s responsibility.
“No. Your job is to protect them,” Trull said. “You took them from me to protect them.”
She is now calling on Gov. Wes Moore and state leaders to examine what happened.
“Wes Moore has to hear me and understand I’m not a parent that’s going to be silent. I’m not a parent that’s going to stop. I’m a parent demanding change.”
Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.
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