Tragic death of baby may be result of Washington State Dem's 'Keeping Families Together Act': prosecutor

A prosecutor claims that a new Washington state law could have attributed to the recent death of a baby in Port Townsend.

The incident in question pertains to the death of a less than one month old baby who was found dead in the bushes in Port Townsend, Washington on Saturday.

The baby had been born with fentanyl in his system and the state awarded temporary custody to the baby's father, Jordan Sorenson. Sorenson had passed initial drug tests but stopped complying with the state-ordered drug testing a few weeks later and disappeared with his baby, according to King 5 News.

Authorities had initially located Sorenson without his child. He eventually led police to the body, which Sorenson had allegedly placed in the bushes.

According to police, Sorenson told officers that he had started using drugs only after the death of his baby.

Sorensen has been arrested and taken into custody on charges of kidnapping, disposing of a body, and concealing a body.

James Kennedy, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney, claims that the baby's death could have been prevented.

Kennedy said that a new Democrat-backed law, called the "Keeping Families Together Act," attributed to the baby's death.

According to the law, substance abuse or housing issues do not constitute imminent physical risk to a child. Kennedy stated that this has shown to be incorrect.

"I don't want to see this happen again," Kennedy said, according to King 5 News. "This was a foreseeable result. I don't understand how the legislature did not contemplate this happening when they passed this law. It's preventable. And I don't want to see another child die in circumstances like this."

Keeping Families Together Act:

"The Keeping Family’s Together Act bill raised the legal standard for removing a child from the home. There are statutory constraints and directives we must adhere to, including those implicit in the Keeping Families Together Act."

"Since the act's implementation in July of 2023, we have seen a 23% reduction in children and youth entering care statewide. DCYF case workers prevent unnecessary out-of-home placements while keeping children safe. They face challenges."

"First there is scale. In 2022, DCYF case workers provided a face-to-face response for more than 60,000 children where there were allegations of abuse or neglect. Only 6% resulted in placement into foster care, but the volume of work is immense. Keeping kids at home is the right thing to do, when it can be done safely, and it requires more intensive engagement with families in the home. This requires staff. We must alleviate workload and have adequate community supports to meet the needs of families.

"Next there is fentanyl. Since the passage of the Keeping Families Together Act, this drug has exploded to epidemic proportions while availability of community-based resources to keep families safe has declined. Washington has seen increased child fatalities and near fatalities involving fentanyl. Most of these critical incidents are situations with no apparent imminent safety threat to the child, but nevertheless cases with high risk due to presence of this drug.

"We have been working with legislators, particularly with regard to developing House Bill 2447 to better define guidelines for the courts when fentanyl plays a role.”