A Phoenix lawyer is pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a federal civil-rights investigation into the Arizona Department of Child Safety after two children with Type 1 diabetes died while in state custody. The families’ attorney says deposition testimony and case records show failures that left the boys without the insulin they needed to stay alive.
Two preventable deaths in state care
Fifteen-year-old Christian Williams was found unconscious at a Mesa group home in July 2024 and later died. The medical examiner ruled his cause of death diabetic ketoacidosis, and police and case records indicate group-home staff allowed him to refuse insulin, according to ABC15. Nine-year-old Jakob Blodgett died in December 2022 after he was placed in state custody. Reporting and court filings indicate he also was permitted to decline insulin, as reported by AP News. Attorneys and advocates say the similarities between the cases, along with what they describe as gaps in training at contracted group homes, raise concerns about whether these are isolated incidents or signs of a wider problem.
Federal civil-rights history gives the request weight
In December 2024, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division found that Arizona’s DCS violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against parents and children with disabilities and asked the agency to make corrective changes, according to a letter posted by the U.S. Department of Justice. That earlier finding has increased scrutiny of new claims that children with chronic medical needs are not getting legally required accommodations.
Families' lawyer points to deposition, training gaps and state fixes
Robert Pastor, who represents both boys’ families, sent a letter this month asking DOJ to investigate. He highlighted a March 31, 2026 deposition in which a DCS licensing manager acknowledged that diabetes is an ADA-protected disability and that DCS had no written policy stating children could refuse necessary medical care. Pastor told ABC15 that "these children deserve to have the medicine they needed." The same reporting notes the agency says it has added staff training, a diabetes field guide, care kits and a free caregiver course created with a university partner since 2024.
Lawmakers press for broader reforms
State lawmakers have already begun tightening oversight of group homes and the DCS hotline after several high-profile failures, and Sen. Carine Werner has convened a task force to review child-safety protocols, according to reporting by the Arizona Capitol Times. Advocates say legislative changes and stronger contract monitoring for group homes are among the steps needed to keep medically vulnerable children out of placements that cannot safely meet their needs.
The families say they will keep pushing for accountability while legal claims move forward and the state continues reviewing its policies. It is not yet clear whether the DOJ will open the federal probe Pastor has requested; the agency has not announced any public action so far.
