Two-year-old Su'Layah Williams died on February 4, 2023, in Philadelphia after being beaten while in the care of Denaejah Harper, her legal guardian, who had obtained custody through the Philadelphia Department of Human Services. On the night of her death, Harper was at work, leaving Su'Layah with her partner, Diamond Joyner. According to a child witness (Joyner's young nephew), Joyner kicked Su'Layah twice when she didn't clean up her toys, after which the child began foaming at the mouth. She was found unresponsive and covered head to toe in bruises. The autopsy revealed she died from multiple blunt impact injuries including contusions to the intestines and bleeding on the brain, and the manner of death was ruled homicide. Joyner was charged with first-degree murder. The child had been removed from her biological mother, Tytianna Hawthorne, through a voluntary DHS safety plan after Harper — who falsely claimed to be a maternal aunt — filed a report alleging burn marks on the child that were later determined to be impetigo, a common skin condition.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
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)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report states the injuries "appeared to be from the child being kicked or punched." The 6abc article reports that a witness (Joyner's young nephew) "told investigators Joyner kicked Sul'Yah twice when she didn't clean up her toys." The Inquirer article states the child was "allegedly kicked to death."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
The Inquirer article describes a DHS investigator's concern that "although Su'Layah's impetigo had subsided, Hawthorne had not yet purchased the antibiotic cream prescribed at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia." This was used as justification for intervention. However, the article frames this as a poverty issue rather than genuine neglect, noting the child had "regular doctor's visits and vaccinations, achieved typical child development milestones, and was in good health." Attorney Thomson "blasted DHS for taking Su'Layah from her mother over the failure to buy antibiotic skin cream." The reference to failure to follow through on prescribed medical treatment constitutes a mention of medical neglect, though its validity is heavily contested in the text.
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?
The fatality report identifies the child's caregiver as her "legal guardian" (Denaejah Harper). While the direct perpetrator was the guardian's paramour, the Inquirer article reports a wrongful death suit naming both Harper and Joyner as defendants, accusing them of "an almost-two-year effort … to steal Su'Layah Williams, as they stated they wanted to start a family of their own and could not." Harper fraudulently obtained legal guardianship by falsely claiming to be a maternal aunt, and the child died one week after Harper obtained custody for the second time. Harper's role as the legal guardian who placed the child in the situation that led to her death constitutes involvement.
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)?
The fatality report names "the victim child's legal guardian's paramour as the perpetrator." The 6abc and Inquirer articles identify the perpetrator as Diamond Joyner, the female partner of the legal guardian Denaejah Harper. The 6abc article states: "At the time of her death, Sul'yah was living with 23-year-old Denaejah Harper, and her partner, 24-year-old Diamond Joyner." Joyner, a female paramour/partner of the legal guardian, was charged with first-degree murder.
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)
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?
The 6abc article explicitly states: "It happened while she was in a placement through the Philadelphia Department of Human Services." The Inquirer article extensively describes the child's situation as "hidden foster care" under DHS control through a "voluntary safety plan." However, the Inquirer also notes "Su'Layah was never officially in DHS custody" and the fatality report identifies Harper as the child's "legal guardian." The child was in a DHS-controlled placement that researchers call "hidden foster care" but was not in formal, court-ordered foster care.
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)?
The fatality report states: "The family was previously known to child welfare." The 6abc article details a prior 2021 DHS investigation initiated by Harper reporting alleged burn marks. The Inquirer article describes the 2021 DHS investigation: "In fall 2021, Tytianna Hawthorne received a phone message from an investigator with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services: Someone may have abused her 1-year-old daughter."
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: "the legal guardian's paramour had been criminally charged." The 6abc article reports: "She's charged with murder and due in court on August 15." The Inquirer article states: "Diamond Joyner, was charged with first-degree murder. Her trial is set for June."
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?
The Inquirer article states: "As DHS case files note, Hawthorne had an IQ of 70, qualifying her for a cognitive disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act." Hawthorne is the child's biological mother and a parent/caregiver. The article also notes: "This should have entitled them to more services, not less" and that "Her cognitive ability also suggests the agency's use of a voluntary safety plan was particularly inappropriate, confronting her with an immediate choice she might have needed time to process."
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
The Inquirer article states: "Numerous documents indicate Hawthorne should have engaged mental health services but without information about a contracted agency that was to provide them." This explicitly references the mental health needs of the biological mother/parent.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
The Inquirer article provides extensive detail about systemic policy failures central to this case. The child was removed from her biological mother through a "voluntary safety plan" — a mechanism the article describes as "hidden foster care" — based on what turned out to be a false report of burn marks (actually impetigo) initiated by Denaejah Harper, who fraudulently claimed to be a maternal aunt. Harper's attorney alleges an "almost-two-year effort to steal Su'Layah Williams" to start a family. Despite the biological mother's repeated objections (texting her case manager "I don't want her with her. … I don't want her around my child"), DHS and its contracted CUA denied her requests and even refused to let her visit her daughter for her birthday. The article describes how voluntary safety plans allow DHS to maintain control over children "without court supervision or the mandated provision of needed services" and without tracking how many such plans exist. A wrongful death suit was filed against Harper and Joyner, and a separate suit against Northeast Treatment Centers (the CUA subcontractor) was settled. The case raises broader concerns about an estimated 250,000 children nationally in hidden foster care.
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