The biological father of one of two girls whose bodies were kept in their adopted mother's freezer in Maryland has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the District of Columbia and the Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church.

The suit filed Oct. 22 by Michael Muhammad of Temple Hills, Md., seeks $75 million in damages. It alleges that the D.C. government and adoption agency failed to protect his daughter from an unfit mother.

The suit says the D.C. government hired the adoption agency to conduct a background investigation of Renee Bowman, who faces murder charges. An official with the group Thursday said board president Thomas Curcio could not be immediately reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Adrian Fenty did not immediately comment.