KTAR News recently interviewed Gallagher & Kennedy catastrophic injury attorney Matt Boatman regarding a lawsuit alleging the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) failed to intervene despite warning signs of ongoing abuse that ultimately led to a child’s death.
Watch the full interview here:
"DCS accused of ignoring warning signs in lawsuit over abused boy’s death in Scottsdale"
Authored by Kevin Stone, KTAR.com Senior Editor | February 18, 2026
The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) is being sued for allegedly failing to intervene despite signs that a boy who later wound up dead was being brutally abused.
“This is a tragic case. Two little boys were being tortured. One was ultimately murdered,” attorney Matthew Boatman told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday.
Boatman is representing the murder victim’s brother, who was also abused. He said he got involved after the boys’ mother contacted him and he reviewed the case.
“There were several opportunities to save these children,” he said.
Chaska Davis Smith was 11 years old when he was killed four years ago. He was found unresponsive with obvious signs of trauma at an extended stay hotel in Old Town Scottsdale on Jan. 30, 2022, and pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
Lawsuit against DCS stems from 2022 Scottsdale murder case
His biological grandmother, Stephanie Davis, and her husband, Thomas Desharnais, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and evidence tampering. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against both defendants.
Davis, now 55, had sole custody of the boys since 2015 and had been living with them at the Extended Stay America hotel on Marshall Way since 2019, authorities said.
Desharnais, now 37, faces a second first-degree murder charge for allegedly killing his Lower Buckeye Jail cellmate while being held in connection with the death of his wife’s grandson.
Attorney cites seven times DCS was contacted before boy was killed
Boatman said DCS had multiple chances to intervene before the fatal incident, starting in 2017, when the boys’ school reported abuse on three occasions.
“Those instances were investigated and resulted in essentially nothing,” the attorney said.
Boatman said DCS was also contacted four other times about the boys’ welfare by police, hotel workers and others.
“And again, nothing happened. These children were not removed from the home, and ultimately … one boy was murdered after years of torture,” he said, adding that the surviving brother, who was 9 at the time, witnessed the murder.
DCS is under heavy scrutiny after three girls known to the agency — 14-year-old Emily Pike, 16-year-old Zariah Dodd and 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste — were murdered last year.
Boatman said he believes the DCS reporting system is flawed.
I think there’s a problem with the call center. I think there’s a problem with transitioning files, and when there’s multiple reports about the same instance, it doesn’t seem like their people are connecting the dots, and too many signs and red flags are being missed, in my opinion.
Matt Boatman, Shareholder
However, Boatman thinks the agency can be fixed, which is one of the goals of the lawsuit.
“I’m hoping for change in this community. I’m hoping that children will be safer, that red flags won’t be missed, that our system will be more efficient,” Boatman said.
The attorney added that he is also seeking justice for his client “for what he’s been through and what will effectively chase him the rest of his life.”
Click here to listen to the KTAR interview.
about our attorney
Matt Boatman is a distinguished legal practitioner specializing in complex and catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. With a dedicated focus on cases arising from motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice and negligence, defective products, unsafe premises, and insurance coverage disputes, Matt brings a wealth of expertise and advocacy to his clients’ needs.
Media Contact
For media inquiries, please contact:
Anna Walp
Marketing Manager
Tel: (602) 530-8019
Email: anna.walp@gknet.com