Collateral Damage: The DCF Chronicles

State Custody, Zero Protection: The Death of James Reese Jr.

Four-year-old James Reese Jr. died in Jacksonville in 2021 while Florida held legal custody. Doctors found a skull fracture and older injuries. Missed exams, a superficial home visit, and kinship care without support point to systemic failure. Read the investigation.

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River at the back door, CPS signed off

A three-year-old in West Virginia, known to elope, was placed in a foster home about 30 yards from the Little Kanawha River with no alarms or barrier. CPS certified the placement, the contractor approved it, and the child drowned. Read the documents and the timeline.

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How Connecticut DCF, a custody court, and a school withdrawal let an 11-year-old vanish

Police found Jacqueline Torres-Garcia in a plastic tote behind an abandoned New Britain house in 2025. Records show DCF closed a case months earlier after a video check. The story tracks the school withdrawal, the missed in-person visit, and the custody decisions that left no neutral eyes on her.

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He begged for help. Texas’ child welfare machine dragged him to a movie and let him die

An 11-year-old boy with autism told adults he was in pain. Thompson’s RTC dragged him to a holiday movie anyway. He collapsed and died. This investigation shows how Texas child welfare, licensing, and contractors missed warning after warning until a child was gone.

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