By Cindy Shultz
Dakota “Levi” Stevens deserved a long life. He had a family that loved him and wanted him. In April 2024, he was suffocated in his foster home. No charges have been filed, and Levi’s family is calling for change in a petition. The state of Indiana failed Levi and his family. The Indiana Department of Child Services claims that prospective foster families go through “intensive training and education,” yet Levi’s death is not an isolated incident.
Throughout our country a crisis is unfolding that demands our immediate attention. It’s a crisis that sees our most vulnerable—our children—subjected to unthinkable horrors. The torture and murder of foster and adopted children is ongoing. These children are more than just victims; they’re human beings who deserve love, care, and protection, not death.
A few current murder cases include those of 4-year-old Bryan Boyer (FL), 11-year-old Arabella McCormack (CA), 6-year-old Isabella Kalua (HI), 3-year-old Sherin Mathews (TX), 14-year-old Grace Packer (PA), and 6-week-old Lucas Birchim (NC). The stories of Asunta Fong Yang and Aundria Bowman—both murdered adoptees—are garnering attention in two different Netflix series: The Asunta Case and Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, respectively. These stories are horrifying but not unique and stand as irrefutable evidence of an industry failing children and their families. Can you imagine losing custody of your children because a government agency says you are a danger to them only to find out they were victims of torture and murder under watch from that same agency?
According to a 2019 study, children in foster care have a mortality rate 42% higher than that other children. This number is not just a statistic; these are real human beings, real children, real lives, and real suffering. Imagine the fear and confusion a child must feel when the very people who are legally responsible for protecting them become their abusers. These children, already vulnerable due to their adoptive and foster care placements, are further victimized by a system that fails to safeguard their lives.
One study shows children tend to fare better in their biological environments than out-of-home care despite minimal intervention in the biological home. Therefore, we must prioritize family preservation by maximizing resources in the biological home. This includes providing in-home counseling and support, affordable health care, affordable daycare, helping families overcome crises, and protecting parents from the fraud, coercion, and exploitation that permanently severs them from their children.
It’s time to abolish the current child welfare system. Our moral and legal obligation is to protect the most vulnerable members of our society to ensure their safety and well-being. How is it happening that these children are being murdered in their foster placements? We need to ask this question of our government agencies and politicians. Write to your politicians demanding answers and sign this petition to hold the Department of Children and Family Services accountable. It’s up to all of us to prevent more children from being tortured and murdered.
Cindy Shultz works to help the systemically oppressed members of her community in crisis without proper housing. As a young pregnant mother who faced the same issues as those she serves, Catholic Charities convinced her that her baby would be better off with someone else. Without an emotional or social support system of her own, she lost her son to an unnecessary adoption. As a volunteer for Saving Our Sisters she has begun educating her community on the corruption within the adoption industry while advocating for family preservation.