DCFS Archives - Illinois Answers Project

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services says it can withhold details of the death of a child in its care until a criminal investigation and trial are completed, which can take years. Credit: Capitol News Illinois/File photo

‘The Public Deserves to Know.’ State Agency Withholds Details in Girl’s Death

by Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois July 22, 2025July 22, 2025

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services can delay reports for years.

The Department of Children and Familiy Services never produced a legally required public report after 8-year-old Navin Jones was found dead at his family's home in Peoria in 2022. Both of his parents were convicted in his murder.

Child Welfare Agency Failed Repeatedly to Produce ‘Critical’ Reports After Child Deaths, Injuries

by Peter Nickeas March 18, 2025

The Department of Children and Family Services is legally required to make the reports public after examining what went wrong but did not in thousands of instances.