Public filings show 13-year-old Jade Smith was reported missing near the Brooklyn Bridge hours before she was found in the East River. A federal lawsuit alleges that New York City’s child welfare system failed at the moments that mattered, from mental health planning to placement oversight to missing-from-care response. This story follows what the record shows, and what the sealed record keeps from view.

When Cindy Lankenau called for help, Florida’s Department of Children and Families and the National Youth Advocate Program turned her life upside down. Her daughter Grayce, diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and autism, was taken from her care after Cindy defended herself during a violent outburst. Although criminal charges were dropped, DCF refused to reunite them, canceled medical care, ignored court orders, and placed Grayce in a home with no structure or therapy. Cindy’s story exposes how Florida’s child welfare system fails families who seek help, replacing treatment with bureaucracy, compassion with negligence, and justice with silence.