From the moment Zoey Chafer entered the world on April 10, 2017, she faced challenges. Shortly after birth, doctors diagnosed her with severe cerebral palsy. The condition left Zoey nonverbal, immobile, and nonambulatory, so the little girl relied on the adults in her life to meet every need. Tragically, Zoey’s mother, Samantha S. Smith, did just the opposite. Smith reportedly abused Zoey during an extended period of time, and one final act of cruelty killed the 4-year-old. A postmortem blood draw revealed Smith had injected so much alcohol into Zoey’s feeding tube that she died from acute ethanol toxicity. Now Smith’s headed to prison.
Zoey lived with two abusers.
Smith lived with her boyfriend, Domenic Falkner, 30, and Zoey in Hayward, Wisconsin, prior to the child’s death, according to The Chronotype. Falkner became Zoey’s paid caregiver in 2020, and the child wound up in the hospital 10 times for physical injuries once he came on the scene. It wasn’t until Zoey died that investigators realized the extent of her injuries.
Police got a 911 call on July 28, 2021.
According to court documents obtained by Law & Crime, police responded to a call about an unresponsive child at an apartment complex in the 15000 block of West 2nd Street in Hayward on July 28, 2021. When emergency crews arrived, they declared Zoey dead at the scene. At the time, no one ordered an autopsy, but they did perform a postmortem blood draw. The test revealed Zoey’s blood alcohol content was .572 g/100mL. That’s seven times the legal limit for an adult in Wisconsin.
“The presence of ethanol in a non-ambulatory child is consistent with intentional administration by another. The level of ethanol found in her pre-embalmed body would be a lethal level in non-chronic users and be lethal in a child this age,” the Dryden Wire reported. “The presence of ethanol in the subscapular hematoma may represent prior administration. The abrasions, contusions, and healing fractures in this non-ambulatory child are also concerning for non-accidental trauma.”
Investigators exhumed Zoey’s body for an autopsy.
Following the blood alcohol content results, investigators called for an autopsy. At that time, the medical examiner found injuries consistent with long-term physical abuse.
“The abrasions, contusions, and healing fractures in this non-ambulatory child are also concerning for non-accidental trauma,” the report noted, per Law & Crime.
Smith will spend the next 15 years in prison.
Smith appeared in court on March 6, 2026, for sentencing. The mother “tearfully” read a statement to the court, per The Chronotype.
“I have failed as a parent in protecting my daughter. I knew what was happening but did nothing about it and now she’s dead. It’s my fault,” she said. “While in jail, I found my faith in God and hope other people will forgive me. I’m sorry for the pain I caused everyone.”
Smith pleaded guilty to party to child neglect, and a judge sentenced her to 15 years in prison plus five years of probation. Falkner pleaded no contest to charges of felony physical abuse of a child and party to chronic neglect of a child leading to death. He’ll appear in court in May to learn his sentence.
This little girl was innocent and helpless, and her mother failed her. It’s truly heartbreaking to think anyone could hurt their child like this and then only get 15 years in prison. It just doesn’t seem fair.
