The Washington State Department of Youth, Children & Families Oversight Board received devastating news from the state Office of the Family and Children’s Ombuds.
During a four-hour meeting on Thursday, Patrick Dowd, director of OFCO, told board members that 45 children died or suffered a near-fatal incident during the second quarter of 2025, or April through June.
OFCO investigates complaints about state agencies involved with children in need of protection, those in state care, and families involved with the child welfare system due to allegations of maltreatment.
“There was an increase in the first quarter of 2025, both fatalities and near-fatalities. That went up to 47 in the first quarter,” Dowd said, displaying a graph showing that many of the incidents involved fentanyl and accidental ingestion.
Dowd noted that his office typically does not release data for the current year, but given the alarming increase in incidents, he felt compelled to share the data.
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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