Toddler’s death in the bathtub of a Philly foster home prompts lawsuit
Syvir Hill's foster parent left him and two other children in a bath, the lawsuit says. When she came back to the bathroom, the 20-month-old was submerged and unresponsive.
The biological mother of a 20-month-old who died in a Harrowgate foster home is suing two Philadelphia child welfare agencies for placing the toddler in a crowded house.
Syvir Hill died April 15 while taking a bath with two other children, according to the complaint, which was filed last week in Common Pleas Court. The children were unsupervised by their foster mother, who had left the bathroom to cook in the downstairs kitchen.
The lawsuit accuses the foster mother, Tabor Children’s Services, and Northeast Treatment Centers of negligence that contributed to Syvir’s death.
Tabor Children’s Services had certified the mother and the Harrowgate rowhouse as eligible to foster Syvir, the suit says. The city had contracted Northeast Treatment Centers to monitor the child’s progress.
“We are deeply saddened over this tragic loss of life,” Regan Kelly, president and CEO of Northeast Treatment Centers, said in a statement. “In the meantime, we are doing everything possible to support the family as they deal with their grief.”
Tabor Children’s Services did not respond to a request for comment.
Syvir entered the city’s foster-care system before he was 6 months old and “eventually” was placed in the Harrowgate home, according to the complaint. By December 2024, the rowhouse was crowded, with three foster children — including Syvir — in addition to young family members of the foster parent living in the house.
When Syvir’s sister needed a foster home, Northeast Treatment Centers sought to place the girl with her brother despite noting that the foster parent was “at her max with the children in her home,” according to the complaint.
The foster parent emptied a storage room, which the lawsuit calls a “closet,” to make room for the sister, who was just a few months old.
In visits to monitor Syvir’s progress, Northeast Treatment Centers staff noted the varying number of children living in the house. The complaint accuses the caseworkers of “failing to remove Syvir Hill and other children in an already overcrowded foster home.”
The lawsuit details the horrific last moments of Syvir’s young life based on Philadelphia Department of Human Services investigation records obtained by A.J. Thomson, the attorney who filed the lawsuit.
Three children were splashing in the water, the suit says, when at one point a 2-year-old turned to Syvir and said, “You are not my brother!” The child held Syvir’s head underwater, while a 4-year-old “screamed in terror,” according to the complaint.
When the foster mother came back to the upstairs bathroom, Syvir was submerged. She called police, who found Syvir nonresponsive upon arrival. He was pronounced dead at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
No arrest has been made in connection with the death, the lawsuit says. Court records show no criminal charges against the foster mother.
“All three of these children are victims of the acts of the Defendants in this case and a system that simply piles children into homes without supervision, training, or enforcement of rules,” the lawsuit says.
A judge had removed Syvir from his parents because that house was deemed unsafe for him, Thomson said. The parents visited Syvir and followed the protocols in an effort to get their children back.
Thomson accuses the agencies of failing to inform the parents of their son’s death.
“When he dies, they are the last to find out,” the attorney said.
Both child welfare nonprofits have been previously involved in cases where children were abused, severely injured, or died.
Tabor Children’s Services agreed to pay $11 million in 2023 to settle a lawsuit accusing the organization of failing to oversee the care of an infant who was abused by her biological mother. The organization, which provided child-welfare casework for the Northwest region of Philadelphia, declined to renew its contract with the city for 2025 and beyond, citing litigation insurance costs.
Northeast Treatment Centers settled a lawsuit for $6.5 million in 2022 following the death of 3-year-old Hope Jones, who was beaten to death in foster care. The nonprofit also settled a case involving the death of Su’Layah Williams, a 1-year-old who was allegedly kicked to death in a West Philly foster home. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
“There has to be a better way than to put these kids with people who are killing them,” Thomson said.