Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) is demanding that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) be investigated in the wake of an 8-year-old girl's death under their care.

"We need immediate hearings, a thorough investigation and lasting solutions to fix the ongoing crisis at DCFS," Bos wrote in a July 13 Facebook post.

According to ABC Chicago, eight children who were supposed to be under the watch of DCFS have died in the last eight months. Most recently, 8-year-old Amaria was suffocated by her mother in her Chicago home at the end of May. Amaria's mother had been arrested in 2017 for driving drunk with the child in the car, which is when DCFS first became involved. A DCFS investigator had made contact with the family just hours before the child's murder and noted no concerns. 

Amaria's father, Demarcus Osby, said, "The same system that's in place that was supposed to protect my daughter is the same system that failed my daughter." 

Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert has called for a federal court to intervene.

DCFS Director Marc Smith has been issued 12 contempt citations in 2022, CBS News reported. Most of the contempt citations are related to DCFS' failure to properly place children in its care, sometimes for months.

After Smith's eighth contempt citation, CBS News asked Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker how many more times Smith will be issued contempt citations before action is taken. The governor replied, "You're ignoring all of the progress that's been made at DCFS, and so is the decision to hold the department in contempt. The head of Department of Children and family Services and I, and the judge are frustrated with the challenges that we face for our most vulnerable children."

Pritzker appointed Smith to the position of acting director of the DCFS in April 2019, according to the department's website. The Illinois Senate confirmed Smith as director in June 2021.