BALTIMORE β Authorities in Baltimore City are currently investigating a deeply distressing case involving the assault of a developmentally disabled woman, which only came to light a few weeks prior to her delivering a baby in December 2024, according to a report by WJZ.
The family of the victim has initiated legal action against both the state and the organization overseeing the group home where the woman resided during the incident.
Due to her condition, the victim was incapable of giving consent.
As detailed in the lawsuit, first highlighted by The Washington Post, the woman is blind, non-verbal, and possesses the cognitive capabilities of a toddler.
The lawsuit outlines harrowing claims: the woman, who required constant care, was subjected to sexual assault, which went unnoticed until she was admitted to Sinai Hospital in Northwest Baltimore in the fall of 2024 with symptoms of abdominal swelling and discomfort.
Medical professionals at the hospital confirmed her pregnancy and subsequently alerted the Baltimore police.
A police spokesman told WJZ Investigates, βThis investigation remains actively open, and we still canβt comment any further.β
No arrests have been made.
The victim later gave birth to a healthy child.
Jessica Gallatin of Cecil County cares for her own developmentally disabled sister and read the familyβs detailed account when it was first published in The Washington Post this week.
βI instantly just thought of my sister, and then I cried. It took me a second to get my composureβ¦β said Gallatin, who is a member of the advocacy group Concerned Citizens of Self-Direction Maryland. βIt was devastating to hear. Itβs definitely a worst fear situation.β
Compounding her fears are state budget cuts that she said are pushing more vulnerable people into group home settings.
βEveryone feels exposed, and this story just kind of validated everyoneβs concerns,β Gallatin said.
She still has many questions.
βWasnβt somebody else around? How did that even happen? Iβm just trying to picture it. I donβt know. I was at a loss for words trying to think of how something like that can happen,β Gallatin told WJZ.
Elliott Petty, a lawyer representing Dominion Resource Center, the operator of the home where the victim lived at the time, told WJZ, βDominion Resource Center denies wrongdoing as to [the victim] but expresses its love and support of [the victim] and her family in this difficult circumstance. DRC has worked and will continue to work and cooperate with Baltimore City Police in their investigation.β
A Dominion executive told The Washington Post that six of her staff members have been cleared of wrongdoing, and the companyβs legal representative noted the state did not recommend any corrective action after the incident.
The lawsuit also names state agencies, including the Maryland Department of Health, which told WJZ it ββ¦cannot comment on ongoing litigation.β
But the agency stated, βInvestigations of complaints regarding services for Marylanders who participate in DDA waiver programs have been and continue to be a priority for the Moore-Miller Administration. The Maryland Department of Healthβs goal is to provide a sustainable, accessible, and effective program of meaningful services for Marylanders with disabilities.β
According to the familyβs lawsuit, the fact that the pregnancy was not discovered for months, ββ¦is not only outrageous but inconceivable given [the victimβs] evident vulnerabilities and the comprehensive care she was supposed to receive. This claim seeks to hold the Defendants accountable for their inexcusable failure to protect [the victim], resulting in her profound suffering and the birth of her child under traumatic circumstances.β
The familyβs lawyer said they are concerned other vulnerable people could be at risk with the rape suspect or suspects at large.
Gallatin shares those fears.
βItβs just unthinkable [to] me that someone is capable of doing that,β she said. βThe fact that heβs still out there I think, is really concerning.β
