The Eagan foster mother facing manslaughter charges in connection with the death of a 3-year-old in her care gave birth to another child, prompting social workers to search for the newborn and the Dakota County Attorney’s office to seek a warrant for her arrest.
The prosecution dropped the arrest warrant for Zaporia Fortenberry after the man believed to be the baby’s father agreed to turn the baby over to the Department of Social Services, according to court records.
Fortenberry, 31, of 1645 Oakridge Circle, Eagan, is charged with two alternate counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection with the June 7, 2017 death of a foster child in her care, 3-year-old Zayden Lawson. Investigators believe Lawson was repeatedly beaten before paramedics were called to Fortenberry's home after the child stopped breathing.
Fortenberry, who had two biological children and two foster children, was released on a $50,000 bail bond in April with conditions she not have unsupervised contact with children, including her own.
According to court records, prosecutors learned on Dec. 6 that Fortenberry had given birth a week earlier and had been released from the hospital with her newborn. Social workers then began looking for Fortenberry and the baby. A Ramsey County social worker went to a house in Minneapolis where Fortenberry was believed to be staying.
A man at the Minneapolis home told the social worker Fortenberry and the baby had been staying there the past three nights, but were not there at the time. While social workers were looking for Fortenberry, a warrant was issued for her arrest for violating the conditions of her release from jail.
After the warrant was issued, according to the court, Fortenberry contacted Ramsey County Social Services and claimed she was staying in Burnsville without the baby. She later acknowledged she had been staying in Minneapolis, according to court records. The baby was placed with Ramsey County Social Services after the father, who was not identified, was directed to do so by his parole agent. The prosecution then quashed the arrest warrant for Fortenberry, but continued to ask the court to find Fortenberry had violated the conditions of her release.
Following a Dec. 27 hearing on the issue, Dakota County District Court Judge David Knutson allowed Fortenberry to be released on conditions including she not contact Lawson’s family, witnesses in the case or her co-defendant Charles Homich, her live-in boyfriend at the time of Lawson’s murder. Homich is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Lawson’s death.
Eagan police have charged a third person with abusing Zayden Lawson, the 3-year-old Eagan foster child who died June 7, 2017. In a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County, police charged the child’s babysitter, 30-year-old Laronna Bourne, with two felonies – assault and malicious punishment of a child – alleging she abused the child on June 6, just one day before the child died.
Police allege Bourne and Lawson’s foster mother, Zeporia Fortenberry, exchanged horrific and racially charged Facebook messages and photos about the abuse. Bourne was supposed to be caring for the child while Fortenberry worked the overnight shift at Walmart. According to court records, Fortenberry would drop Lawson off with Bourne at the Eagan transit station and Lawson would spend the night with Bourne at a hotel room in Bloomington. Bourne, who had a previous address of 990 Rose Ave., St. Paul, had been staying at the Bloomington hotel where Fortenberry’s boyfriend, Charles Homich, worked because Homich was able to get a reduced rate, according to court records. Bourne is out of jail on $25,000 bail, according to court records.
A Dakota County grand jury indicted Homich last week on first- and second-degree murder charges in connection with Lawson’s death based on allegations he beat the child, punching him in the stomach, after the child messed his diaper. Fortenberry allegedly left Lawson at her 1645 Oakridge Circle home with Homich on the last night of the child’s life, rather than leaving him with Bourne, in order to give Bourne “a break,” according to court documents filed in the case.
Bourne was included on the witness list appearing before the Dakota County grand jury in the case against Homich. In order to convict Homich of murder charges, all the jurors at his trial would have to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he inflicted the injuries that caused the child’s death. That could be more difficult, given charges alleging another person abused the child just one day before.
As part of its investigation into Lawson’s murder, Eagan police obtained search warrants to look for evidence in Fortenberry’s home and cars. Police also searched through Facebook and cell phone messages, according to court records.
Investigators allegedly discovered evidence where Lawson’s foster mother condoned the babysitter forcing the child to stand naked in a corner and beating the 3-year-old. In the criminal complaint against Bourne, the prosecution described communication between Bourne and Fortenberry.
In communication the day before the child’s death, Bourne, Lawson’s babysitter, allegedly told Fortenberry, Lawson’s foster mother: “Ok girl I’m finna beat this n[**** (racial term deleted)] feet again he done stood in the f[***ing (expletive deleted)] corder N pissed instead of saying that he gotta use the bathroom [angry emojis].”
Bourne also allegedly said to Fortenberry: “Sis I don’t even want to sleep till he do but I’m finna strap his a[**] down completely till u get here.”
Fortenberry allegedly replied to Bourne: “lol did you whoop his a[**] lol … Bad a[**] little f***er
Bourne then allegedly messaged: “Girl, I beat his feet so bad he on his tippy toes N can’t stand.”
Fortenberry was first licensed as a foster parent by Dakota County Community Services on May 11, 2016, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Her license was renewed for two years less than a week before Lawson’s death, on June 1, 2017. Her license was temporarily suspended the day after Lawson was found dead in her home, according to the state, and indefinitely suspended in September 2017.