A Toledo, Ohio, mother is fighting to get back custody of her children after one of them died while in the temporary custody of child services.
Stephanie Bell confirmed with Atlanta Black Star that her 6-year-old son, Xion Thomas, drowned on July 30. He was allegedly at a friend’s home in Center Township when he fell into a swimming pool.
Two 911 calls were made from the friend’s home, according to WTVG, which obtained the audio. In one call, a dispatcher asked how long Xion had been submerged.
“Probably like 10, 15 minutes,” the caller said.
In another call, a woman performing CPR on the child told dispatchers: “He was in the pool, and he slipped underwater. We called 911.”
Bell said she was shocked to learn her son was taken somewhere by his foster mom.
“I had no idea that they were able to take them to like other places and stuff, like to a friend’s house without even answering me,” she said.
According to Ohio law, foster parents can take foster children to their friends’ houses, but they need prior approval from the child’s caseworker, who would obtain it from Bell.
Entering the System
Xion and Bell’s other three children were placed in foster care because she was homeless. They’ve been in the system since November 2025.
“I was in a homeless shelter, and I don’t have any family that’s able to get them,” she explained.
According to his mother, Xion and his siblings were placed in a new foster home on July 6, less than a month before his death. Bell claimed that Lucas County Children Services never told her they were moving him. She found out about the move days later.
“They were already moved into this lady’s home,” Bell said. “I was confused…like, why didn’t you guys call me when you guys were even thinking about changing [Xion’s] placement?”
Bell says the foster mother asked her lots of questions about her children, but specifically if they can swim. Despite his love of playing in the water, Bell said Xion didn’t know how to swim.
“He cannot swim. He absolutely needs a life jacket. He absolutely needs floaties. He absolutely needs to be watched around a pool if there’s enough water for him to drown,” Bell said.
The foster mother’s identity has not been released.
Child Services Responds
In a statement obtained by WTVG, Lucas County Children Services said Xion was placed in a home operated by a private foster care agency due to a shortage of foster homes.
They sent the following statement to the outlet:
“It is with great sadness that we learned of Xion’s passing. Our sympathies are with his entire family. We are doing everything we can to help his parents and siblings cope with their loss.
As the agency responsible for the protection of Lucas County’s children, we care for children with all different kinds of needs. In most cases, if children must come into care, we first look to place them with kin. If no suitable relatives are available, we then turn to our own network of foster homes. We oversee them and ensure that they meet all child welfare standards. Each LCCS foster home is assigned to a caseworker who is responsible for monitoring their activity and providing ongoing support.
If there is no foster home available in LCCS’ own network of foster homes to meet the child’s needs, it becomes necessary to place the child in a home operated by a private foster care agency. These companies maintain networks of their own private foster care homes that are licensed by the State of Ohio and are held to the same licensing standards as LCCS homes. The difference is that the assessment, management, and supervision of these homes is the responsibility of the private provider, not Lucas County. In Xion’s case, he was placed with a private provider due to the shortage of foster homes in Lucas County.
In the coming days and weeks, we will be conducting an investigation into the circumstances of this case, in conjunction with the Wood County Sheriff’s Department.
Again, we extend our sympathies to Xion’s family.”
Atlanta Black Star reached out to LCCS and the sheriff’s office but hasn’t heard back.
