Earlier this month, Jessica Conway was shocked to learn that her biological daughter, Avalena, had died in a foster home in Auburn. Two weeks later, The Boston Globe has published a story detailing the toddler’s short life.

The 2-year-old was born to a mother who struggled with drugs, and a father who was mostly uninvolved, according to the Globe.

In February, the child was moved to a foster home in Auburn with four other children and a foster mother was described to the Globe as kind and loving. It wasn’t until Avalena’s death, and the hospitalization of another foster child in the home, that questions arose about their safety.


Conway looked to the Department of Children and Families, which had visited the foster home just days before her daughter’s death, for answers. The case is still under investigation and a full report is expected by the end of September, according to the Globe.

On August 21, a funeral service was held for Avalena in Marlborough. Her biological mother and father were both there to mourn the loss of the daughter they struggled to give attention to while she was alive.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe.