CW: Death & Neglect
America’s foster care system is broken. Sadly, in too many cases, nobody listens until it is too late. When failures continue nationwide, it becomes clear that these failures are not isolated occurrences but are symptoms of a larger, systemic issue.
In May, seventeen-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos died in a Missouri foster placement that was never licensed to take him. Thousands of miles away in Arizona, two boys who also had diabetes died while in state custody. Christian Williams, fifteen, and Jakob Blodgett, nine, had also been placed in state custody. All three had Type 1 diabetes, which means they couldn’t survive without regular insulin doses. Sadly, they all died from diabetic ketoacidosis.
DKA is a dangerous, life-threatening condition caused by insufficient insulin, which means the body breaks down fat too rapidly, resulting in toxic acid buildup in the bloodstream. The condition is well understood medically. It is usually preventable with proper care.
Korbin’s story begins in a Macon County office on May 13. He was waiting for a foster home trained to manage his diabetes and autism. Employees searched the state database for an appropriate home and believed they’d found one.
They drove him 300 miles. He had his medication with him in a brown paper bag. Days later, they learned that the foster parent was only licensed to care for his relatives and had no experience helping a child manage an illness like diabetes.
For nearly three weeks, employees struggled to find a new home. The foster parent asked twice for Korbin to be moved. His insulin pump battery died and was never recharged. He ran out of sensors for his Dexcom, which monitored his blood sugar levels. He became sick, then unresponsive. “They should have trained me better,” the foster parent told police. Korbin died on June 6, twenty-four days after arriving.
In Arizona, Christian and Jakob’s deaths followed a disturbingly similar pattern. Both boys lived in group homes overseen by the Department of Child Safety. Both died from diabetic ketoacidosis. According to ABC15’s investigation, staff allowed both boys to refuse their insulin. Both boys were minors in state custody, and records indicate that group-home staff allowed them to refuse insulin, despite the fact that it is essential to survival. Staff also received little or no formal diabetes training before Christian’s death.
Diabetes isn’t the only problem. In Massachusetts, 10-month-old Kristoff Zenopolous died in foster care in February 2020 after showing visible signs of illness for roughly two weeks. The medical examiner determined that he died from complications of Group A strep, pneumonia, and empyema, a serious infection in which pus builds up in the space between the lungs and the chest wall, making it difficult for the lungs to expand.
Medical experts testified the underlying illnesses could have been treated. In March, Kristoff’s foster parents were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and reckless child endangerment because prosecutors argued they had failed to get medical help despite clear signs the infant was seriously ill. They were sentenced to three to five years in state prison.
Kristoff’s death is different from the cases of Korbin, Christian, and Jakob. However, the failure is familiar. A child in foster care was seriously ill, there were warning signs, and medical help came too late.
In each case the warning signs were clear. These deaths happened because of a lack of supervision, training, and basic medical oversight. Advocates have warned for years that disabled children fare worse in foster care than their nondisabled peers. A 2006 report, “Forgotten Children,” found that disabled children make up roughly one-third of all children in foster care, yet their medical and developmental needs are routinely overlooked.
More recent research suggests that these problems have persisted. Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2024 conference showed that disabled children in foster care face higher risks of death and greater difficulty achieving stable placements.
Across the country, child welfare agencies are stretched thin. Oversight becomes reactive instead of preventive. And children fall through the cracks.
All four boys did not die because their conditions were rare or unpredictable. They died because the systems and people responsible for protecting them were not equipped to keep them safe.
Works Cited
“Children in Foster Care With Disabilities Face Significant Challenges.” American Academy of Pediatrics, 27 Sept. 2024, https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases-from-aap-conferences/children-in-foster-care-with-disabilities-face-significant-challenges/.
“Forgotten Children: Children with Disabilities in Foster Care.” United Cerebral Palsy and Children’s Rights, 2006, https://e1.nmcdn.io/assets/crsite/wp-content/uploads/imported-files/forgotten_children_children_with_disabilities_in_foster_care_2006.pdf.
Grigg, Nicole. “Calls for Department of Justice to Investigate DCS Treatment of Children with Type 1 Diabetes.” ABC15 Arizona, 21 May 2026, https://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/investigations/calls-for-department-of-justice-to-investigate-dcs-treatment-of-children-with-type-1-diabetes.
Iguina, Michele M., et al. “Thoracic Empyema.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 24 Dec. 2024, National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544279/.
Larson, Shannon. “Adams Couple Sentenced to 3-5 Years in Prison for Manslaughter in Death of 10-Month-Old Foster Child.” The Boston Globe, 2 Apr. 2026, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/02/metro/adams-couple-sentenced-foster-child-death/.
Quinn, Steph. “Missouri Placed Diabetic Teen in a Foster Home Not Licensed to Take Him. He Died 24 Days Later.” Missouri Independent, 21 Aug. 2026, https://missouriindependent.com/2026/08/21/missouri-placed-diabetic-teen-in-a-foster-home-not-licensed-to-take-him-he-died-24-days-later/.
Styne, Dennis Michael, and Donna M. Petre. “The Dangers of Congregate Care for Children with Diabetes or Other Life-Threatening Medical Conditions.” Children, vol. 13, no. 1, 2026, article 78, 3 Jan. 2026, doi:10.3390/children13010078.
Veauthier, Brian, and Blaine Levy-Grau. “Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Evaluation and Treatment.” American Family Physician, vol. 110, no. 5, Nov. 2024, pp. 476–486, https://www.aafp.org/afp/2024/1100/diabetic-ketoacidosis.