Death of Charlotte 6-year-old prompts lawmaker to take action

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte unaffiliated state Rep. Carla Cunningham says she was deeply impacted by the death of Dominique Moody.

“I literally didn’t sleep for nights because I couldn’t just settle my mind down around the fact this happened,” Cunningham said. “How did this happen?”

Police say the 6-year-old was found dead in December 2025. She weighed only 27 pounds after being kept in a dog cage and tied with duct tape. Channel 9 cameras captured her home looking in disarray. Her family attorney says there were five reports to Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, but no action was taken.

“Just shocking, overwhelming, and really hard,” she said.

Cunningham introduced the Dominique Moody Act on Thursday, which creates a Child Welfare Case Escalation Team to target high-risk cases.

The team would be allowed to enter a private residence if there is suspected abuse or neglect of a high-risk juvenile, and it could be activated for several reasons, including three or more reports within a year.

Cunningham says the legislation will ensure no one falls through the cracks and there is an extra layer of oversight. As this bill moves forward, she says she will continue to demand answers from Mecklenburg County about this case.

“If you looked at the outside of the house, it was like, ‘What did we miss here?’” she said. “Did the social worker ever get inside of the house to even look at the environment? I don’t know that. So, we need to know that.”

Cunningham is teaming up with Republican Rep. Allen Chesser, of Nash County, for the legislation.

“These heartbreaking incidents revealed a recurring critical gap: repeated reports of abuse or neglect were often screened out, allowing chronic patterns to go unaddressed,” Chesser said. “House Bill 1144 was filed to fix that. It creates a statewide Child Welfare Case Escalation Team to provide independent, expert review of high-risk cases — especially those with multiple screened-out reports, chronic neglect, or complex medical needs — ensuring better documentation, faster intervention, and stronger oversight so that no child falls through the cracks again.”

Chesser and Cunningham are both part of the House Oversight Committee, which is probing Moody’s death.Mecklenburg County hasn’t commented on the legislation.

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