FULL INTERVIEW: Former DCS case worker shares insight on AZ's child welfare system
Brooke Schapiro worked as a child care specialist also known as a caseworker for the Arizona Department of Child Safety from 2019-2022. She provides insight on what it?s like working for the child welfare system and the challenges that caseworkers face daily. She?s been keeping track of recent tragedies linked to DCS and believes the system needs to change.
FULL INTERVIEW: Stacey Sutherland of AZ Anti-Trafficking Network
Stacey Sutherland with the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network shares insight on the issue of sex trafficking in the valley. She does constant outreach with her team, meeting victims who are adults and minors. Sutherland says many of them have been through Arizona's child welfare system or are still in custody of DCS.
FULL INTERVIEW: Emily Pike's uncle visits site where teen was found murdered
FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum meets Emily Pike?s uncle, Allred Pike at the site where the 14-year-old girl?s remains were discovered on February 14, 2025. Emily ran away from a Sacred Journey, Inc. group home in Mesa on January 27 but was placed in the DCS-licensed home by the San Carlos Apache tribe. No suspect has been arrested in her murder.
Runaway teens: Missing in the System | Special Report
Three teens. Three tragedies. One system?s failures. Our special report sheds light on the deaths of Zariah Dodd, Emily Pike and Anaiah Walker ? three girls with strong ties to the Arizona Department of Child Safety. What signs were missed before they ran away?
Fmr. DCS worker: AZ child welfare system is broken
Arizona state lawmakers say changes are coming after a string of child deaths. Focusing on recent cases with prior Department of Child Safety (DCS) contact and increasing scrutiny of the embattled agency, Arizona leaders believe these tragedies could have been prevented. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum reports.
Zariah Dodd: Records show her fear of baby?s dad
By the end of July 2025, 115 kids in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) were considered missing, abducted or runaways. 66 of those kids ran away from group homes, and Zariah Dodd was in that category. Dodd was murdered after she ran away from her group home, and her family alleges the system failed her. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum has more.
Anaiah Walker was sex trafficked, lawsuit claims
16-year-old Anaiah Walker was known as a routine runaway, but police believe she was sex trafficked before being killed in a hit-and-run. The connection isn't uncommon. Experts have studied the link between missing Department of Child Safety kids and trafficking in Arizona. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum has more.
Emily Pike: Family reflects on her unsolved murder
14-year-old Emily Pike was brutally murdered earlier in 2025, but long before that, Emily was allegedly sexually assaulted. The Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted an investigation but closed her case due to "insufficient evidence." Family members believe she would still be alive if the case had been prosecuted. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum reports.
Inside DCS: Former caseworker says Arizona's child welfare system is broken | Special Report
Changes are coming to the Arizona Department of Child Safety, according to state leaders, following a string of child deaths. Discussions on DCS intensified following the deaths of Rebekah Baptiste, Zariah Dodd, and Emily Pike.
Emily Pike: Family reflects on unsolved murder at site where teen was found dismembered | Special Report
Emily Pike's family says her brutal murder could have been prevented. The 14-year-old tribal member's death exposes systemic failures in a heartbreaking case of jurisdictional confusion and a search for justice.
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.
Zariah Dodd: Records show pregnant teen’s fear of unborn baby’s father months before murder | Special Report
A pregnant teenager, lost in Arizona's child welfare system, was murdered after running away from a group home. Zariah Dodd's loved ones says her death was preventable, a tragedy born of a broken system that ignored their pleas for help.
Anaiah Walker: DCS runaway was sex trafficked before fatal hit-and-run, lawsuit says | Special Report
A teen runaway's life took a tragic turn. Authorities believe Anaiah Walker was a victim of sex trafficking, a dark link between missing DCS kids and predators in Arizona. Now, her family wants justice.