On May 24, 2025, Briauna Morgan received a call that shattered her world. Her one-year-old son, Kemari, had died while in the custody of a Person County, North Carolina foster home.
Even worse, the government agency refused to give her the details surrounding Kemari’s death. They did not even allow her to see her child.
Kemari had been in state custody since June 2024 after she was accused of “neglect.” She became one of many low-income individuals whose children were taken by a system that seems designed not to help but to punish.
“He died in their care,” Amanda Wallace, a former CPS investigator and founder of Operation Stop CPS, told me in an interview. “Even in death, she had to fight to ensure her child was safe.”
When the Department of Social Services (DSS) contacted Briauna, they informed her that Kemari was already en route to the medical examiner. It would take six days before the agency allowed her to view her son’s body.
“They aren’t being transparent about what exactly happened,” Briauna later told Spectrum News 1. “I know he was a young child, so I know y’all don’t care, but look from my side.”
Family photo of Briauna Morgan and her children
DSS has not released the cause of death. An initial autopsy revealed no internal injuries. The state claims it is awaiting a toxicology report, which could take up to a year.
On May 29, Briauna appeared in court to regain custody of her remaining children. But county prosecutors responded by bringing up her two DWI convictions. The most recent occurred in March. None of her children were in the vehicle at the time.
Despite the lack of allegations of physical harm or abuse, the judge denied her custody. “My heart was crushed,” she said. “They know how I feel about my children.”
The foster family who had custody of Kemari at the time of his death filed a restraining order against Briauna to stop her from asking questions and discussing the matter on social media.
The mother later got in touch with Operation Stop CPS. Wallace is helping her navigate the process while advocating for the return of her children. However, when she spoke out during a Person County Board of Commissioners meeting. She was arrested while leaving the building because the director of Person County social services had issued a trespass charge against her.
The trespass order was issued after activists placed a memorial to Kemari on public property near the director’s home.
Wallace, who worked in North Carolina’s CPS system for ten years said Kemari’s case is part of a larger pattern.
“This isn’t just a broken system,” Wallace told me. “It’s a retaliatory one. They will destroy families—and then target anyone who refuses to look away.”
The foster care system receives substantial federal funding for each child placed in state custody. This funding covers social worker salaries, room and board, and even bonuses for successful adoptions. Unfortunately, some agencies have used this as an incentive to place children in foster care even if they are not suffering abuse.
“This is government-sponsored child trafficking,” Wallace said. “If you or I kidnapped a child and got paid for it, we’d be in prison. But when the government does it, it’s called child welfare.”
She explained that the term “neglect” is vague enough to be used in cases that might not warrant removing a child from the home. “Neglect is whatever they want it to be,” she said. “Missed doctor appointments, a late rent payment, no childcare—anything can be labeled neglect.”
Meanwhile, members of Briauna’s community are still fighting to bring about the return of her children. “They want the outrage to fade so they can keep hurting this mother,” said Wallace. “We won’t let that happen.”
You can watch my interview with Amanda Wallace below: