Civil Plaintiff
A Minnesota County Settles a Lawsuit Over a Foster Care Death For $1.3 Million
Hennepin County will pay more than a million dollars to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Arianna Hunziker, a toddler who was murdered by her foster parents while under the supervision of the county.
Hunziker was just 3 years old when she was found “severely malnourished and dehydrated”. She’d been bound to her bed with sheets which had been wrapped around her neck and body.
Her foster parents, Sherrie and Bryce Dirk were convicted of Arianna’s murder. Sherrie Dirk was Arianna’s aunt and Hennepin County had placed the little girl and her brother with the family.
“There were a lot of red flags,” said Hunziker’s paternal grandmother Mary Egan.
