A child under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Human Services was discovered dead in a hotel in Baltimore City on Monday.
According to Press Secretary Lilly Price, details about the event are few since the DHS is legally limited in what it can disclose. According to FOX45 News, the infant was discovered by a hotel employee. FOX45 News reviewed dispatch audio, which portrayed the incident as a fatal overdose.
On September 22, 2025, just before 11:15 a.m., Baltimore Police responded to 800 N. Wolfe Street. An agency spokesperson confirmed that the Residence Inn by Marriott Baltimore at the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus has that address.
A 16-year-old girl was discovered dead, and according to a BPD spokeswoman, there were no signs of foul play or damage on her corpse, making the case doubtful. The girl’s remains were taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office to ascertain her cause of death.
Price stated that DHS is examining the incident.
“The Maryland Department of Human Services joins the community in grieving this heartbreaking tragedy,” Price said in a statement to FOX45 News. “The well-being of Maryland’s children is our top priority, and we will not rest until every child in our state is safe, thriving in a permanent home, and surrounded by loving family.”
According to FOX45 News sources, the child was supposed to have a one-on-one assistant; however, it is unclear whether the aide was present at the time of the incident.
“If we find that our standards for care were not met, we will hold our contractors accountable,” Price informed us.
The death follows a recent Office of Legislative Audit report that showed many weaknesses in the Social Services Administration’s regulations and processes. The audit, published on September 12, 2025, concluded that SSA, which is part of DHS, failed to ensure that foster care children were placed in settings approved by state law. The audit discovered 280 children who were placed in hotels under the supervision of unlicensed providers, and the investigation found that placing the children in hotels costs the state much more money.
The audit also discovered that SSA did not have a mechanism in place to guarantee that vendors offering one-on-one services to foster care children in hotels received criminal background checks. According to the audit results, during fiscal years 2023 and 2024, SSA “used 14 vendors to provide continuous care for children in hotels, including transportation to school and medical appointments, administering medication, and meal preparation.” However, the study discovered “these vendors were exempt” from local departments of social services or DHS Office of Licensing and Monitoring regulation, and “consequently criminal background checks for the vendors’ employees were not obtained.”
“Since one-on-one vendors are not licensed providers, there is a lack of assurance that children in their care received satisfactory services,” according to the audit results.
In response to the audit’s findings, particularly the one-on-one care difficulties, DHS stated that a request for proposal was made to ensure “all individuals who interact with children under our care comply with criminal background investigation requirements.”
“According to the RFP scope of work, all personnel providing one-on-one support must complete criminal background checks, which is consistent with the criteria for private providers. According to the DHS statement, the evaluation committee is currently considering technical ideas as of August 2025.
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