It is being reported that a seven-month-old baby, known publicly as Baby Kai, has died while under the care of Mississippi Child Protective Services (CPS). The child’s death has ignited public outrage and renewed scrutiny over the agency’s handling of child removals and the conditions of children placed in state custody.

According to posts circulating online, Baby Kai was born on March 20, 2025, to a 19-year-old mother named Jasmine. Family members describe Jasmine as a young mother doing her best, living with her father, receiving SSI, and providing consistent care for her baby.

Well-known advocate Dallas Wielenga, recognized for his outspoken work in exposing CPS abuse and for sharing his own experiences of trauma while in state care, has also spoken out online about Baby Kai’s case. Wielenga’s history as both a survivor and reform advocate has made his voice one of the most respected in the fight for transparency and accountability within child welfare systems nationwide.

Relatives say Kai was healthy, thriving, and safe at home until state intervention changed everything. Reports indicate that CPS removed the infant after receiving an unverified allegation that Jasmine and her baby were living in a car. No warrant or investigative findings confirming those claims have been made public.

What was reportedly meant to be a temporary removal stretched into months of separation. Two days before Jasmine was told her baby would be returned, CPS allegedly took Kai to a medical appointment to change his formula. Hours later, the mother says she received a call that Kai was vomiting blood.

Before she could reach the hospital, CPS called again, not to update her on her child’s condition, but to instruct her to report to their office. When she arrived, staff informed her that her seven-month-old baby had died.

Family members say they have not been granted immediate access to medical records, autopsy findings, or any official report explaining how Kai died. They describe being left in the dark, no documentation, no answers, only a caseworker’s vague remark: “We think it was a gastrointestinal issue.”

No independent confirmation of the cause of death has been made public. As of this writing, Mississippi Child Protective Services has not released a formal statement or any transparent account addressing why a healthy child, taken from his mother’s care, never made it home.

Advocates are now calling for an independent investigation into Mississippi CPS and the caseworkers involved. They argue that the agency acted without sufficient cause, removed a child from a safe environment, and failed to ensure his wellbeing while in state custody.

If these reports are accurate, Baby Kai’s case raises serious questions about oversight, accountability, and the treatment of children who enter state care. A healthy infant does not die following a routine formula change without a clear explanation, and families across the nation are demanding one.

Baby Kai’s story has become a rallying point for reform advocates who insist that no child should die in state custody. Many are calling for a full review of Mississippi CPS policies, emergency removal procedures, and child welfare practices statewide.

As one advocate wrote, “A system that removes children from loving homes without proof and fails to protect them once in custody is not a system of care, it is a system of harm.”

For Jasmine, the young mother left behind, there are no words that can make sense of what happened. She is still waiting for answers.