A child under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Human Services was found dead in a hotel in Baltimore City on Monday, according to police and state officials.
Details surrounding the incident are scarce since DHS is limited by law in what the agency can say, according to Press Secretary Lilly Price.
According to FOX45 News sources, the child was found by a hotel employee. Dispatch audio reviewed by FOX45 News described the call as a fatal overdose.
Just before 11:15 a.m. on Monday, Baltimore Police were called to 800 N. Wolfe St., an agency spokesperson confirmed. The Residence Inn by Marriott Baltimore at The Johns Hopkins Medical Campus lists that as its address.
A 16-year-old girl was found dead, and according to a BPD spokesperson, there were no signs of foul play or trauma on her body so the case is listed as questionable. The girl’s remains were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine a cause of death.
DHS is investigating the incident, Price said.
“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.”
The child was supposed to have a one-on-one aide, according to FOX45 News sources, and it’s not immediately clear if the aide was with the child at the time of the incident.
“If we find that our standards for care were not met, we will hold our contractors accountable,” Price said.
The death comes after a recent Office of Legislative Audit revealed several gaps in policies and procedures within the Social Services Administration.
The audit, published Sept. 12, found that SSA – which is within DHS – did not ensure local departments of social services placed foster care children in settings authorized in state law. The audit identified 280 children placed in hotels under supervision of providers that were not licensed and, according to the audit, housing the children in hotels comes at a significantly higher cost to the state.
The audit also revealed SSA did not have a procedure to ensure criminal background checks were obtained for vendors providing one-on-one services to foster care children in hotels.
According to the audit’s findings, 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, administer medication, and meal preparation.”
However, the review found “these vendors were not subject” to local departments of social services or DHS Office of Licensing and Monitoring oversight 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,” the audit concluded.
In response to the audit’s findings, specifically referring to the one-on-one care issues, DHS said a request for proposal was issued to ensure “all individuals who interact with children under our care comply with criminal background check requirements.”
“The RFP scope of work requires all employees providing one-on-one support to undergo criminal background checks, consistent with the requirements for private providers. As of August 2025, the evaluation committee is reviewing technical proposals,” the response from DHS stated.
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