Seven-year-old Za'Maiya Travis died of fentanyl toxicity on March 31, 2023, at her home in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota. Her mother, Shauntaija Travis, found her unresponsive when trying to wake her for school around 6 a.m.; the child's hands were stiff and her skin was purple. A search of the home revealed six straws with white powder residue (containing cocaine), a blue M30 pill (containing fentanyl), and other drug paraphernalia in the mother's purse and bedroom where all three — the mother, her boyfriend, and Za'Maiya — had slept. The mother admitted to abusing Percocet and oxycodone, purchasing street drugs including counterfeit fentanyl-laced M30 pills, and acknowledged a 75% chance her daughter had accessed her drugs. Prior to the death, the child's great-grandmother had contacted child protective services on March 9 to arrange a custody transfer, and Za'Maiya had told a CPS worker that her mother "crushed up blue stuff into a powder before sniffing it." CPS did not remove the child, and a planned custody transfer to the grandmother was scheduled for April 5 — five days after Za'Maiya died. The mother was charged with second-degree manslaughter and later pleaded guilty.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
All documents confirm the child died of fentanyl toxicity/overdose. The vital records (MN_23_313.pdf) state the cause of death as "Fentanyl Toxicity" with injury description "Recent Fentanyl Use." The Safe Passage report states "Za'Maiya's cause of death was fentanyl toxicity." The twincities.com article states the child "died of a fentanyl overdose after ingesting the drug at their St. Paul home." The mother admitted there was a "Seventy-five" percent chance her child had gotten into her drugs.
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)?
While not framed explicitly as "inappropriate supervision," the mother kept fentanyl-containing pills in her purse on the bedroom floor, where the child slept in the same room. The twincities.com article notes the mother admitted Za'Maiya "occasionally went through her purse looking for Travis' phone." When asked the chance the child got into her drugs, Travis replied "Seventy-five." The mother's failure to secure lethal drugs away from her child, combined with her knowledge the child accessed her purse, constitutes a failure of appropriate supervision.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The twincities.com article states that in "late fall of 2022," Za'Maiya "reported being burned by her mother on her upper chest." The kstp.com article confirms: "Za'Maiya said her mother had inflicted the burn." The Safe Passage report also notes "concerns of physical abuse that Za'Maiya's school documented but failed to report until after her death."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
The twincities.com article states the grandmother told police the girl's "clothing was in poor condition, she had a foul odor and wasn't being fed properly." The kstp.com article states a relative said the child "smelled bad, didn't have clean clothes, and complained of hunger when she saw her." These descriptions indicate the child was not being adequately fed and experienced hunger.
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?
The Safe Passage report identifies the "Adult Perpetrator: Mother." The mother, Shauntaija Jannell Travis, was charged with and pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. She kept fentanyl in her purse in the bedroom, and her child ingested the drug and died. All documents confirm the biological mother's direct involvement through her drug possession and negligence.
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)
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)?
The twincities.com article states: "Travis' grandmother made an initial report with Child Protective Services on March 9." This was prior to Za'Maiya's death on March 31. CPS was actively working with the family, as the twincities.com article states: "they were working with the family to help with the girl's transfer to Travis' grandmother's care." The Safe Passage report confirms: "Right before her death, Za'Maiya and her family were working with child protection to transfer custody of Za'Maiya to her grandmother."
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 twincities.com article states: "The Ramsey County attorney's office this week charged Travis, 27, with two counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection with Za'Maiya's death." The Safe Passage report confirms: "Za'Maiya's mother was charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter." The kstp.com article reports that Travis "pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree manslaughter by culpable negligence and creating unreasonable risk."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The Safe Passage report states: "her father had domestic assault charges." This directly references domestic violence by a parent.
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?
The Safe Passage report states that Za'Maiya's "father had domestic assault charges." These charges predate and are separate from the current fatal incident. The father was not involved in the child's death; this constitutes prior criminal history for a parent.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Multiple documents extensively document the mother's substance use. The Safe Passage report states "Za'Maiya's mother struggled with SUD." The twincities.com article states Travis "told police she abuses Percocet," and describes her struggles with drug use throughout, including purchasing drugs on the street. The kstp.com article notes "Travis told officials she had been prescribed Percocet for seizures, but when the doctor took her off the medication, she wasn't given anything to wean off, so she purchased drugs from the street to avoid drug sickness."
Notable Details
Several significant systemic failures are documented across the sources. First, Benjamin E. Mays school staff failed in their duty as mandated reporters: the twincities.com article states Za'Maiya reported being burned by her mother in "late fall of 2022," but "There is no indication that staff, who are mandated reporters, contacted anyone about the incident at the time they learned of it. Staff only documented the incident after ZT's death." The maltreatment report was not filed until April 14, over two weeks after Za'Maiya's death. Second, the school district obstructed the investigation, as the complaint notes "St. Paul Public Schools refused to allow investigators to speak with staff." Third, despite Za'Maiya telling a CPS worker in March that "her mother crushed up blue stuff into a powder before sniffing it," CPS did not remove the child from the home because "other caregivers who didn't use drugs were present in the home" and the mother agreed to transfer custody. The grandmother expressed frustration that "she reached out trying to help (Za'Maiya), but she could not get anyone to help her." These represent compounding failures by the school, school district, and child protective services.
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