Authorities Ignored 7 Calls Leading Up To 11-Year-Old's Death At Hands Of Grandparents

The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) has been served with a lawsuit over the death of a 11-year-old boy who was allegedly murdered inside a Scottsdale motel in January 2022. The boy's grandmother has been charged with murder. Attorney Matt Boatman filed the lawsuit on behalf of the family, alleging the agency failed to protect the child.

The Department of Child Safety received multiple reports about the situation but did not take sufficient action, according to the lawsuit.

"Despite seven calls to DCS, Smith and his brother were tortured for years. The couple was on DCS's radar," Boatman said.

Chaksa Davis Smith, 11, died in 2022 after he was found unresponsive at a motel in Scottsdale. Investigators said both Smith and his younger half-brother, Liam, showed signs of abuse.

Authorities allege the boys were abused by their 55-year-old grandmother, Stephanie Davis, and her husband, 37-year-old Thomas Desharnais.

Boatman spoke publicly about the claims outlined in the lawsuit against DCS. In an interview with CBS affiliate KPHO, Boatman said, "Seven calls were made by several parties who have seen the abuse of Smith and his brother Liam since 2017. The staff at the boys' school, at the hotel where they lived, and even the police had called DCS a total of 7 times to express their concerns."

Boatman said DCS interviewed the boys three times; on the other four occasions, the agency did not conduct follow-up interviews. Boatman described the abuse as "some of the most horrific tortures I have ever seen or heard of. It's like something out of a movie."

Investigators determined that Smith died from injuries sustained over time leading up to his death in January 2022, according to Law&Crime. A notice of claim filed before the lawsuit alleged Smith had 30-40 fresh contusions and lacerations.

Desharnais, the 37-year-old husband of the grandmother, allegedly told police that he struck the boy in the head with a metal racket four or five times the day before he died. He also told investigators that Davis would hit the boys with a broom handle and force them to sleep in the bathtub so blood would not stain the furniture.

Desharnais also told the police that Davis would inflict the alleged torture on the boys using needle-nose pliers, pinching their skin, and bending their fingers. Officers reported finding pliers, a broom handle, and a wrench in the motel room.

Boatman said, "These boys were beaten with wrench knives, forced to live in bathtubs, wore shock collars, were starved, forced to panhandle, and were robbed of an education."

Every time DCS was contacted, Boatman said the agency deemed the reports "unsubstantiated."