In a devastating case from St. Louis County, Missouri, 4-year-old Zaydian “Zay” Dopirak lost his life at the hands of his biological father, Blake Dopirak, just days after a family court ordered a trial reunification. The murder, which mirrored the abuse Zaydian suffered as an infant, has ignited national outrage and renewed calls for sweeping reform in how family courts handle custody decisions in cases involving past violence.
Zaydian’s life was marked by trauma from the beginning. When he was just five weeks old, he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Investigators determined that his father had crushed the infant’s head with his hands. The injury was so severe that doctors were uncertain whether Zaydian would survive, let alone walk or speak.
Blake Dopirak was never criminally charged at the time, but authorities quickly removed the baby from his care. Zaydian was placed with a loving foster family, Dawn and Jeff James, who nurtured him and helped him grow into a joyful, curious, and resilient child. Against all odds, he recovered physically and began to thrive. The James family eventually filed for legal guardianship, hoping to provide him with a permanent and safe home.
Despite his history of abuse, Blake Dopirak petitioned for reunification with his son. The move was met with widespread concern. Social workers, pediatricians, Zaydian’s court-appointed guardian, and the James family all warned against returning the boy to his father. They argued that the risk was simply too high.
“These people begged the court to listen,” said one child advocate following the case. “They weren’t just voicing concern—they were issuing a clear, documented warning: if Zaydian went back, he might not survive.”
Nevertheless, family court commissioner Diane Monahan approved a trial reunification, a standard legal process that allows children to be slowly transitioned back into their biological parent’s care. The court emphasized the importance of parental rights, despite the traumatic history.
On January 2, 2022—just days after returning to his father’s apartment in Manchester, Missouri—Zaydian was found unresponsive. Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The autopsy revealed fatal head trauma—strikingly similar to the injuries he sustained as an infant. Prosecutors later stated that Zaydian’s death was caused by non-accidental blunt force trauma, implicating Blake Dopirak as the direct cause.
In 2025, Blake accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 24 years in prison for endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death. For many, the sentence felt hollow—a symbolic gesture in the face of a preventable death.
Dawn and Jeff James, the foster parents who raised Zaydian for nearly four years, remain heartbroken. But they have turned their grief into a mission. They are advocating for “Zay’s Law,” a proposed reform bill aimed at ensuring children are never returned to abusive homes without thorough review.
“Zaydian was more than a file number,” Dawn said. “He was our son, our joy, and he should still be alive today.”
In the end, Zaydian’s story is a painful reminder: courts must see beyond biological ties. True justice in family court means protecting the innocent—especially those too young to protect themselves.
