SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Toddler removed from foster family, placed with criminal who paralyzed her

Oct 26, 2018, 2:13 PM

Sidney Walton, Carols at the Capitol...

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

I want to thank one of my listeners, John, who wrote about this on his blog and tipped me off. The Seattle Times did a story on an 18-month-old girl in our state’s foster home system. She had been taken in by a loving foster family who wanted to adopt her. Then, seemingly out of nowhere in 2015, she was ripped out of this loving family’s arms because a man in Texas, Bryant Davis, claimed he was her father. The State of Washington, allegedly with no adequate investigation or vetting of this guy, took this 18-month old girl and placed her with this man.

Now, if the State of Washington had simply done a Google search of Bryant Davis before they tuned the 18-month-old girl over to him, they would have found out about his background. He has a long string of jail sentences for assault, drug possession, and robbery. Over a 10-year period, he spent nearly half of that time behind bars, including two times for assault.

RELATED: State pays $19.3M to settle foster abuse case

One day, when the girl was 21 months old, she peed on the living room carpet. The lawsuit alleges Bryant grabbed her, punched her in the rib cage, took her into the bathroom, and slammed her down on the toilet, then went to clean up the mess. When he came back into the bathroom, he saw her standing in the toilet, which, according to police reports, really set him off. He slammed her back on the toilet, hitting her head on the toilet in the process. He took her back into the living room to “teach her a lesson.” He hit her on the back of the head again. The little girl started having a seizure. He pulled out a mouthpiece she needed for a breathing issue, ripping out a tooth in the process.

This 21-month-old girl was taken to the hospital, where she went into cardiac arrest, had 16 rib fractures, a liver laceration, a spleen laceration, a collapsed lung, bruising, a brain bleed, and a missing front tooth.

She is now a quadriplegic. She will most likely never be able to eat independently or communicate.

If the State of Washington had checked out this guy — and by the way, he only “proved” he was her father with a DNA test known as a ‘strip mall DNA test,’ which is not legally recognized — they would have seen how dangerous he was. She is going to be in the prison of quadriplegia for the rest of her life. He has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars.

You and I get to pay for it. The State of Washington ripped this little girl from a loving foster family who wanted to adopt her, and take care of her, and protect her, and love her. They sent her to an abusive monster with a long criminal history. And because of that, the State Department of Children Youth and Families has agreed to pay $19 million of our tax dollars to take care of this little girl for the rest of her life.

Hey State of Washington, are you going to hold any of these case workers who ripped this girl away from a caring foster family and sent her to this abusive felon accountable? It’s just $19 million from you and me, the taxpayers.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

Migrants try to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Ph...

Associated Press

At least 18 die after breach of border between Morocco and Spanish exclave of Ceuta

MADRID (AP) — At least eighteen migrants have died trying to reach the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, where Spain deployed its military after thousands of people breached the border with Morocco and poured into the tiny Spanish territory. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to […]

2 hours ago

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong talks during a primary debate in Milwaukee, Tuesd...

Associated Press

Democratic candidates grapple with past stances on defunding the police ahead of key midterm races

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just months before the midterm elections, Democrats hope to convince voters that lawlessness under President Donald Trump’s administration is the biggest threat to their rights and pocketbooks. But the party’s past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch. Across the country, Democratic candidates are grappling with their previous positions […]

6 hours ago

FILE - A sign for Camp David, the presidential retreat, is pictured near Thurmont, Md., Aug. 18, 20...

Associated Press

Trump is taking his Friday Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking Friday’s Cabinet meeting on the road — to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, a rustic backdrop for sessions that have come to be known for being overly long and consumed by administration officials’ endless praise for their boss. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said […]

6 hours ago

Shon Barnes (3)...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘What A-list person would come to Seattle’: Former King County sheriff warns replacing Shon Barnes will be difficult

With Shon Barnes on the way out, former King County Sheriff John Urquhart said the city is paying the price for years of churn at the top.

8 hours ago

Andre Sayles...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Who is Andre Sayles? What we know about Seattle’s new interim police chief

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced on Thursday that she has accepted the resignation of Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.

9 hours ago

Katie Wilson (3)...

Julia Dallas

‘Information could have gone out much faster’: Mayor Katie Wilson addresses 5-hour delay after Bite of Seattle shooting

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson addressed the five-hour information delay from the city following a shooting at the Bite of Seattle on Sunday.

9 hours ago

Dori: Toddler removed from foster family, placed with criminal who paralyzed her