On March 15, 2022, one-year-old Alaia Judge was found unresponsive at her home while in the care of her grandmother, Alexandra Benally, and was transported to the hospital. She later passed away on April 4, 2022, due to complications of fentanyl ingestion. The Department of Child Safety conducted a joint investigation with the Tempe Police Department. There were no prior DCS reports or services involving the family. On May 1, 2023, Alexandra Benally was indicted on one count of manslaughter and one count of child abuse. Another child in the home was assessed as safe in the care of their parents.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The fatality report explicitly states that the child "passed away on April 4, 2022 due to complications of fentanyl ingestion."
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The fatality report states the 1-year-old child "was found unresponsive at home" and died "due to complications of fentanyl ingestion" while "in the care of her grandmother, Alexandra Benally." A 1-year-old gaining access to and ingesting fentanyl while under the care of an adult implies inappropriate or inadequate supervision. The grandmother was subsequently indicted on charges of manslaughter and child abuse.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
The fatality report states "The child was in the care of her grandmother, Alexandra Benally, at the time of the incident" and that "Alexandra Benally was indicted on one count of manslaughter and one count of child abuse." The grandmother is an adult relative directly involved in the child's death.
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states: "On May 1, 2023, Alexandra Benally was indicted on one count of manslaughter and one count of child abuse."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states the child died "due to complications of fentanyl ingestion" while "in the care of her grandmother, Alexandra Benally." The presence of fentanyl — a potent opioid — accessible to a 1-year-old in the home environment where the grandmother was providing care strongly implies substance involvement by the caregiver or within the caregiving environment, though the report does not explicitly state that the grandmother used drugs.
Notable Details
The fatality report describes the multidisciplinary team (MDT) review process that was implemented as part of the DCS Strategic Plan, noting that "MDT reviews of fatality and near fatality cases were implemented during the first quarter of FY16" and that "The MDT reviews fatality and near fatality cases with prior DCS involvement." However, this case had no prior DCS involvement ("There were no prior DCS reports involving Alexandra Benally, Alaia Judge or the child's parents"), which means the MDT review mechanism — designed to identify systemic failures — would not have applied to this case. This is a notable systemic gap: the primary quality improvement mechanism for fatality review is limited to cases with prior DCS involvement, potentially missing lessons from cases like this one where the family had no prior contact with child protective services.
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