Upper Marlboro, Maryland — Maryland’s medical examiner has ruled the death of a 14-month-old foster boy a homicide, finding he died of dehydration after a licensed respite caregiver did not seek medical help when he became sick, the Baltimore Sun reported Sept. 15. Prosecutors in Prince George’s County are still weighing criminal charges.
What the medical examiner found
The boy, who was in the District of Columbia’s foster care system, died Feb. 9 at a respite home in Upper Marlboro, according to the Sun’s reporting carried by FOX45. Respite care is short-term care by another licensed provider while a foster parent is away. His foster mother had left him there while she was out of town.
The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide and attributed it to dehydration after the caregiver failed to get him medical attention when he fell ill, the Sun reported. The caregiver has not been publicly named, and no one has been charged. The Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office is investigating.
A neglect finding months earlier
In April, the Sun reported that the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services had investigated the death and found neglect “indicated” against the licensed caregiver. The foster mother was told the boy had RSV and was severely dehydrated, according to that report. County police were investigating, and autopsy results were still pending at the time.
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The boy had lived with his foster mother since he was 12 days old, and she was in the process of adopting him, the Sun reported. About 200 people attended his funeral in Hyattsville in February.
The gap in respite oversight
Respite placements are approved by the system as safe stand-ins for a child’s regular home. The public record so far does not show who licensed this caregiver, what training was required, whether anyone checked on the child during his stay, or whether the caregiver was caring for other children. Neither the reports nor any public agency statement explains how a licensed provider could watch an infant decline to the point of fatal dehydration without calling a doctor.
The case crosses jurisdictions. The child was in the custody of Washington, D.C., while the respite home and the investigations sit in Prince George’s County. When responsibility is split across lines like that, accountability can be split too. The ruling also comes as Maryland is still responding to other deaths in its care system, including the 2025 death of a 16-year-old in a Baltimore hotel room that led lawmakers to pass Kanaiyah’s Law.
Children in care are entitled to the same basic medical attention any parent would be expected to provide, and the system that removed them carries that duty. FAN tracks these failures on its foster care system problems page.
What’s next
The State’s Attorney’s Office has not announced a charging decision. FAN will update this story if charges are filed or if either agency releases its review of the placement.
Key facts
- A 14-month-old boy in D.C.’s foster care system died Feb. 9, 2026, at a licensed respite home in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
- The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by dehydration.
- The ruling says the caregiver failed to seek medical attention when the boy became ill, the Baltimore Sun reported.
- Prince George’s County DSS found neglect “indicated” against the caregiver.
- No one has been charged; the State’s Attorney’s Office is investigating.
- The boy had been with his foster mother since he was 12 days old, and she was adopting him.
Sources
- FOX45 Baltimore / Baltimore Sun — SUN: Medical examiner rules homicide in foster baby’s death in Prince George’s County (2026-09-15)
- FOX45 Baltimore / Baltimore Sun — ‘Only parent he knew’ vows to find answers in Maryland foster baby’s death (2026-04-27)
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