Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?

The fatality report states that the mother gave the children Benadryl and Motrin for sleep rather than for allergy symptoms: "she gave them Benadryl and Motrin. The CFWS caseworker told the mother that Benadryl should be used only as recommended for allergy symptoms and not for sleeping." This constitutes children being given medication for purposes other than their intended medical use.

Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?

The fatality report describes how the mother allowed the boyfriend — who had a court-ordered no-contact order with the children due to a prior abuse investigation — to be present in the home with the children. The court's conditions required the mother to "contact law enforcement if [boyfriend] came to her home or attempted to make contact with the children." Instead, the boyfriend was present when S.B. died and was charged with felony violation of a DV no-contact order. This represents allowing an inappropriate and dangerous individual access to the children.

Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)

The fatality report states S.B.'s cause of death was "blunt force trauma to head" and that she had "a number of other injuries, including extensive bruising, lacerations, and scarring." The mother reported the boyfriend "would use a belt to discipline the children physically, and when she told him not to, he began biting the children." The Fox 13 article adds that the boyfriend described "slamming a door shut on the girl's forearms" and "dropping her." The children also had burn marks, bite marks, and broken bones. These are clear inflicted injuries.

Is there any mention of medical neglect?

The Fox 13 article states: "Investigators learned that Maile and Baker had concerns about their daughter for at least a day before they called 911" and "the pair told investigators that they had discussed taking her to the hospital but didn't out of concerns of 'allegations.'" Additionally, phone records showed someone searched "how to help a child wake up" at 3:09 a.m. but 911 was not called until hours later. This constitutes a delay in seeking necessary medical care for a critically injured child.

Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?

The fatality report states S.B.'s cause of death was "blunt force trauma to head" and that this was ruled a homicide. The Fox 13 article corroborates: "a medical examiner concluded that the child's injuries were indicative of abuse, including blunt force trauma to the head." Blunt force trauma to the head in the context of child abuse constitutes abusive head trauma.

Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?

The fatality report describes a sustained pattern of deliberate cruelty by the mother's boyfriend: "He would use a belt to discipline the children physically, and when she told him not to, he began biting the children." The children had extensive injuries including "loop marks" from a belt or electrical cord, bite marks, possible burn marks, and a broken humerus. By the time of S.B.'s death, the medical examiner found "a number of other injuries, including extensive bruising, lacerations, and scarring, that the medical examiner determined were not consistent with normal toddler activity and were indicative of physical abuse." Biting children and inflicting burns constitutes depraved behavior extending beyond typical physical abuse, occurring over an extended period (at least April 2021 through March 2022).

Was a biological mother involved in the death?

The fatality report states: "On March 13, 2022, S.B.'s mother was arrested and charged with second-degree murder." The Fox 13 article identifies her as "Jharmaine Baker, 21" and confirms the second-degree murder charge. She was also given a "founded finding of negligent treatment and maltreatment."

Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?

The fatality report states the individual arrested was "the father of S.B.'s younger siblings" — not S.B.'s biological father — and was charged with "second-degree murder, homicide by abuse, third-degree assault of a child, and felony violation of a domestic violence no-contact order." The Fox 13 article identifies him as "29-year-old Augustino Maile" and the KIRO 7 article confirms he was the "mother's boyfriend." He was S.B.'s mother's male partner/boyfriend.

Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?

The fatality report states: "The juvenile court placed [children] in their mother's care with continued monitoring on a trial return home" in December 2021. At the time of S.B.'s death in March 2022, the family still had "an open CFWS case" and the CFWS caseworker was conducting health and safety visits. A trial return home in Washington child welfare means the dependency case remains active and DCYF retains legal oversight. The child was still under court jurisdiction with conditions of return, making this technically a foster care/dependency situation at the time of the incident.

Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?

The fatality report documents an extensive history of child protection reports. In April 2021, a CPS investigation was assigned due to "allegations of physical abuse" involving all three children, who had "physical injuries and scarring." Additional reports detailed each child's injuries. In September 2021, a new report was received about a cigarette burn on a sibling's neck. A CPS risk-only investigation was also assigned when the fourth child was born. Multiple founded findings were issued against the parents.

Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?

The fatality report states: "On March 11, 2022, the father of S.B.'s younger siblings was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, homicide by abuse, third-degree assault of a child, and felony violation of a domestic violence no-contact order. On March 13, 2022, S.B.'s mother was arrested and charged with second-degree murder." Both the Fox 13 and KIRO 7 articles confirm these arrests and charges.

Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?

Domestic violence is extensively referenced throughout the fatality report. The mother "reported having access to services and said she planned to begin mental health counseling and domestic violence (DV) services." She was described as "a past victim of DV" to hospital staff. The boyfriend was charged with "felony violation of a domestic violence no-contact order." The Committee discussion focused significantly on DV assessment, and the boyfriend was ordered to participate in "DV batterer's treatment." The Committee noted that "more emphasis was placed on the DV experienced by the mother rather than the physical abuse of the children."

Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?

The fatality report states the mother was court-ordered to "continue individual mental health counseling" as part of the dependency order. The mother also "reported she was continuing with mental health counseling but had challenges with scheduling conflicts." This directly references the mental health of the parent/caregiver.

Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?

The KIRO 7 article states: "Deputies arrested the 29-year-old boyfriend for the previous child abuse case and booked him into the Pierce County Jail for the assault of a child." This indicates a prior criminal case related to physical abuse of the children that predates S.B.'s death. Additionally, the fatality report notes that law enforcement "had an open investigation related to physical abuse" by the boyfriend, and a restraining/no-contact order had been entered against him in June 2021 based on prior abuse findings.

Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?

The fatality report notes that S.B.'s biological father was court-ordered to "complete a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow treatment recommendations, submit random urinalysis testing." The boyfriend was ordered "three random urinalysis tests, where DCYF could request up to six additional random tests upon suspicion of use." The phrase "upon suspicion of use" explicitly references potential substance use. While these may be standard dependency orders, they do reference substance use as a concern for the caregivers.

The fatality report identifies several significant systemic issues. The Committee discussed "what they perceived to be a complete system overwhelm for DCYF and agency partners" and noted that "turnover in this office led to multiple case transfers and oversight by different supervisors during the course of the CFWS case," resulting in a "loss of collective knowledge and expertise." The Committee identified "a missed opportunity for collaboration between the CFWS team and CPS team" when the mother's fourth child was born, as the CPS risk-only investigation was assigned to a different office with no internal collaborative staffing. The Committee also found that "the mother's successes may have been over-emphasized while her lack of service engagement was minimized" and identified "a potential service gap because no current services are explicitly offered for physical abuse cases or cases involving a parental failure to protect from physical abuse." Additionally, the Fox 13 article reveals that phone searches on the mother's phone showed escalating concern about S.B. starting at 9 PM on March 10, culminating in a search for "how to help a child wake up" at 3:09 AM, yet 911 was not called until March 11 morning — and the pair acknowledged they "discussed taking her to the hospital but didn't out of concerns of 'allegations.'"