By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona lawmakers are intensifying their investigation into systemic failures within the state’s child protection system after the tragic deaths of three children—each of whom had prior involvement with the Department of Child Safety (DCS). Senator Carine Werner (R-LD4), Chair of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee, is spearheading the effort through a formal legislative probe targeting the state’s oversight of licensed group homes.
The investigation was first launched earlier this year following the gruesome murder of Emily Pike, a 14-year-old who ran away from a DCS-licensed facility in January and was later found dead. Now, with the deaths of Zariah Dodd, a pregnant 16-year-old fatally shot after leaving a similar facility, and Rebekah Baptiste, a 10-year-old who died despite multiple abuse reports to DCS, momentum behind the inquiry has grown significantly.
“These tragedies make it painfully clear that when our child protection systems—both state and tribal—fail, the consequences can be horrific,” Werner said in a statement. “We must explore opportunities for system improvement. That is the work ahead of us, and we will not stop until no child in Arizona falls through the cracks.”
The first stakeholder meeting of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety will take place on Wednesday, September 3. It marks the second phase of a broader review process that will include legislative hearings, stakeholder input, and proposed reforms. While the meeting will be closed to the public and media, Werner is expected to brief reporters in the following days. Earlier this year, Werner called on the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to launch a formal investigation into DCS’s regulatory oversight. She has voiced serious concerns about “underlying systemic issues” that may be placing children and even staff at risk within state-licensed group homes.
“Arizona’s licensed group homes have repeatedly made headlines for egregious mistakes that have cost lives and threatened the safety of staff,” Werner said at the time. “There may be underlying systemic issues requiring immediate reforms, so we must assess where mistakes are occurring and determine the next steps.”
The Joint Oversight Committee’s work will involve officials from DCS, law enforcement, tribal governments, lawmakers from both parties, and social service providers. Their goal: assess current policies, examine communication breakdowns, and identify both short-term interventions and long-term legislative fixes.
As the investigation unfolds, Arizona finds itself once again grappling with the conversation of how to ensure that tragedies like these never happen again.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
