After an autopsy report confirmed that a teen girl under the state’s supervision died by suicide while living in an East Baltimore hotel, Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday his administration would fix the problems with Maryland’s foster care system.

The girl, 16, had been living in a hotel for about six weeks before her death in late September. She died of diphenhydramine intoxication, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in Benadryl.

After her death, the girl’s mother questioned why the Maryland Department of Human Services would place the teenager in a hotel, where supervision can be limited, instead of a residential treatment center where she could have received more therapeutic care.

The autopsy report says the teen left a detailed note and had “numerous” scars from self-inflicted cutting wounds. Brooke Ward said her daughter had tried to take her own life earlier this year, and the autopsy report said a previous suicide attempt was documented in her medical records.

“They knew. They knew she was high risk,” Ward said last week of the human services department, before the autopsy was released. “Why would you take your eyes off her?”

The Banner is not naming the teen because of the circumstances of her death.

Asked whether the teen’s death was preventable, Moore said it was “unfortunate” and “heartbreaking” but he could not speak further about the circumstances around it because of an ongoing investigation. Police closed their investigation into the girl’s death; the human services department has an ongoing investigation into whether the contracted aide who was supposed to watch over her around the clock had provided proper supervision.

A scathing audit, also released last month, found the long-derided practice of placing children in foster care in hotels had been occurring with regularity. Over a two-year period, 280 children in the state’s care had done a stint living in a hotel, sometimes staying for more than a year.

In addition to the price of lodging, auditors determined the cost of contracting personal caretakers, required for hotel settings, came to $1,259 a day.

At the end of September there were at least 18 children in foster care who were residing in hotels, according to figures the Department of Human Services provided last week.

Moore placed some of the blame on his predecessor, former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, saying his administration inherited a “broken” human services department — the audit and advocates have said these problems have persisted for years.

Nearing the end of the third year of his first term, Moore said he was making a “firm commitment” and placing “firm accountability on all of our people” to make sure they use the rest of his time in office to “fix this.”

“We know that the systems that need to be addressed, both in DHS and other state departments, that it becomes a core responsibility of us to ensure they are addressed,” Moore said.

Work on the issue of hotel placements has been halting. A legislative work group was supposed to deliver recommendations to Moore on how to fix the problem by Oct. 1. However, the group met for the first time Oct. 2.

Some General Assembly members are looking for ways to force more accountability from the state during next year’s legislative session. Del. Mike Griffith, a Republican representing portions of Cecil and Harford counties, plans to introduce a bill that would require the Department of Human Services secretary to personally approve hotel stays for children lasting longer than a week, among other provisions that would strengthen oversight of contractors in the foster care system.

Acknowledging his position in Annapolis’ political minority, Griffith said he didn’t care whether his bill passed or if a Democrat-sponsored measure with similar provisions did, so long as action gets taken.

Griffith himself was in state foster care from the ages of 12 to 18, when he subsequently joined the Marines. In an interview, Griffith said he has yet to wrap his head around how this teen ended up in a hotel.

“We have a $67 billion budget, and we couldn’t put this girl in a situation to not take her own life?” he said. “We could’ve done more. You cannot convince me otherwise.”