Revisiting the Death Of Eric Dean (& where we are today)

In 2014, Safe Passage for Minnesota Children reported that Pope County would face no legal penalty for its role in the slow tortured death of 4-year-old Eric Dean at the hands of his stepmother Amanda Peltier.  Safe Passage states that “if this case doesn’t rise to the level of malfeasance, no case ever will.”

At that time Brandon Stahl presented Star Tribune readers with the sad fact that four Minnesota counties screen out 90% of child abuse calls.  Brandon reported on how a child can be reported to Child Protection Services fifteen times with egg sized lumps, multiple bite marks, broken arm, swollen cheeks, black eye, facial scabs and puncture wounds and have those reports screened out as unimportant fourteen times.

Eric’s death was as violent and tortured as his life was.  Eric’s day care providers tried again and again to report to Pope County Child Protection the bleeding and bruises that had been visited on a helpless child but even these mandated reporters finally gave up when they realized that the County had no intention of taking any action to save this child.  The information below has improved but it reflects the reporting and state of child protection following Eric Dean’s death.

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Read more below for a review of child death since Eric Dean.

 

Below is a partial list of Minnesota children who have died at the hands of their parents (or caregivers) since Eric Dean’s death, compiled using case summaries, media, and the Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota fatality reports covering October 2014–May 2023. This list includes children specifically named in public records and reports; “fewer than half” of all such deaths are currently named due to confidentiality and reporting limits. Additional cases are referenced descriptively where names are unavailable.​

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Partial List of Children Killed by Parents or Caregivers in Minnesota (2014–2023)

• Autumn Hallow (2020, Sherburne County) – Age 8, starved and tortured by father and stepmother.

• Eli Hart (2022, Hennepin/Carver County) – Age 6, shot by his mother after custody was returned despite warnings.

• Emmalynn Helm (2019, St. Louis County) – Age 6, killed by her mother, who had prior CPS involvement.

• Derric Fulks, Jr. (2021, Ramsey County) – Age 3, fentanyl poisoning; family had extensive CPS history.

• Zyair Glapion (2022, Hennepin County) – 3 months old, positional asphyxiation, mother repeatedly returned children to her care despite addiction.

• Aaliyah Goodwin (2015, Hennepin County) – 5 months old, suffocated after years of CPS/neglect reports.

• Kamari Gholston (2020, Anoka County) – 4 months old, head trauma by mother returned after injury.

• Eli Hentges (2018, Scott County) – 2 months old, killed by mother after being returned from hospital injury.

• Layla Jackson (2019, Scott County) – A toddler in kinship foster care, died with documented racial abuse.

• Tayvion Davis (2018, St. Paul) – Age 8, tortured and frozen to death by mother.

• Fletcher Merkel (2025, Minneapolis) – Age 8, shot during church/school mass by mother’s partner; recent high-profile homicide.

• Harper Moyski (2025, Minneapolis) – Age 10, shot in same event as above.

• Unnamed Crow Wing County child (2025) – Autistic girl died of confinement/neglect, parents later charged.

• D-Angelo Pitchford (2021, Olmsted County) – Age 3, died of untreated hernia/neglect after CPS reports.

• Anthony Herkal (2015, Dakota County) – 2 weeks old, beaten by father with extensive domestic violence history.

• Paizlee Lang (2020, Blue Earth County) – Age 6, shot by father in murder-suicide.

• Musa Day (2016, Hennepin County) – Age 2, mother arrested after killing.

• Loramae Thorsgard (2016, Red Lake County) – Infant, killed by father.

• Jaxon Alexander (2017, Ramsey County) – Age 3, beaten by mother’s boyfriend.

• Olivia Jostad (2015, St. Louis County) – Infant, suffocated by mother.

• Caden Kalina (2015, Stearns County) – Infant, died in parental neglect case.

• Cecilia Cross (2025, Crow Wing County): 10-year-old autistic girl died after being kept captive in a cage-like bed by her parents, Heather and Darcy Cross, who have been charged with manslaughter.​

• Two fentanyl-related deaths (2024–2025, St. Paul): A 1-year-old child died from fentanyl toxicity on December 25, 2024; parents Jasmine Ryan and Jeffrey Weidell are charged with second-degree manslaughter. In a separate case, a 3-year-old boy in West St. Paul died from a fentanyl overdose in early 2025, with the mother implicated in ongoing drug activity at their apartment.​

• Infant death in childcare (2025, Savage): An infant died at a licensed daycare center in Savage in September 2025, with an investigation ongoing.​

• Jorden Borders case (2025, Crosslake): Mother sentenced to 39 years for child torture and abuse contributing to injury and risk of death among her three children.​

• Hopkins case (2025, Hennepin County): A father was sentenced for manslaughter after his young daughter died from an untreated asthma attack.​

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Important Notes

• Kinship and foster care deaths: A significant number of fatalities involved children placed with relatives or foster caregivers, not only biological parents.

• Substance abuse and torture: Many deaths since 2022 have been linked to fentanyl and chronic parental drug or mental health issues; others involved clear signs of torture.

• Recent trend: Between 2014 and 2023, Safe Passage has confirmed at least 88 named deaths, with the Department of Human Services identifying 161 fatalities (named and unnamed) for the same period.

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For full case summaries and the complete up-to-date list, see:

• Safe Passage 2023 Fatality Report​

• Media: Star Tribune, KSTP, CBS Minnesota coverage.​

This list remains incomplete due to confidentiality rules, lack of public reporting, and heavy redaction in official records. Safe Passage notes that many further deaths remain unnamed or only minimally described in official data.​

 

# AutumnHallow 

#EliHart

#EmmalynnHelm

#DerricFulks

#ZyairGlapion

#AaliyahGoodwin

#KamariGholston

#EliHentges 

#LaylaJackson

#TayvionDavis

#FletcherMerkel

#HarperMoyski

#UnnamedCrowWingCountychild 

#D-AngeloPitchford

#AnthonyHerkal 

#PaizleeLang

#MusaDay

#LoramaeThorsgard

#Jaxon Alexander

#OliviaJostad

#CadenKalina

#CeciliaCross 

#fentanyl-relateddeaths 

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