Vulnerable & vanishing: The struggle to protect Arizona’s foster youth in DCS care
New Arizona DCS data: Missing kids & group home risks
New data from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) shows that while most missing foster youth are found quickly, a staggering majority are disappearing from group home settings. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum has the details.
PHOENIX - New data from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) shows that while most missing foster youth are found quickly, a staggering majority are disappearing from group home settings.
What we know:
Between May and July 31, 2025, DCS records indicate that 82% of children reported missing, abducted, or runaway were located within 24 hours. However, advocates remain alarmed by the source of these disappearances: 74% of missing DCS children vanished from group homes between January 2024 and September 2025.
Stacey Sutherland, of the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network, noted that these children are particularly susceptible to exploitation due to past trauma.
"They've had adverse childhood experiences," Sutherland said. "That’s what makes them so vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. The question is, what can we do to prevent them from running?"
While Sutherland credited DCS for improving specialist training to recognize signs of trafficking, she said the high number of group home runaways is "not shocking" and aligns with historical data.
Runaway Teens: Missing in the System | FOX 10 Investigates Special Report
Teens in the custody of the Arizona Dept. of Child Safety have been victims of sex trafficking, murder, & sexual assault, police and family members say. Following the deaths of Anaiah Walker, Emily Pike, & Zariah Dodd, leaders say changes are coming.
‘We do the same thing every year’
The legislative response to the crisis remains under scrutiny. In 2024, lawmakers established the Missing, Abducted, and Runaway Children (MARC) Unit, which requires law enforcement notification within 24 hours of a child's disappearance. Despite the unit's critical mission, it is currently operated by only three staff members.
State Rep. Walter Blackman, R-District 7, expressed frustration with the pace of reform during the current legislative session.
"We do the same thing every year," Blackman said. "We get in a room, we say we’re gonna fix it and we don’t fix it, and every year, every month kids are missing."
House Bill 2860:
Blackman has introduced House Bill 2860, which would establish an independent 17-member oversight committee for DCS. The bill proposes a $2 million appropriation and would grant the committee authority to evaluate agency performance and control portions of its funding.
HB 2860 is one of at least 20 bills related to DCS reform currently being considered by the House and Senate this session.