Two emails sent days apart are raising new questions about why more wasn’t done to prevent the death of a 15-year-old boy with diabetes in Arizona’s foster care system.
“It just makes me wonder is anyone paying attention or is everyone asleep at the wheel,” said attorney Robert Pastor, who is representing the family.
Christian Williams is now the second child with Type 1 diabetes to die in the state’s care. He's the second child to be allowed to refuse his insulin, the lifesaving medication he needed to live, according to police reports and a state incident report.
The Williams family recently filed a lawsuit against the state and the group home where Christian was living at the time of his death.
The lawsuit includes two emails it says were sent to the Arizona Department of Child Safety in the weeks before Christian died of diabetic ketoacidosis. This is a preventable condition caused by not having enough insulin.
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According to the lawsuit, one of the emails was sent to DCS from the group home nearly a month before Christian’s death. In the email, the group home manager wrote, “We are very concerned that Christian keeps doing this and this will result in his death.”
“I don’t know what more of a warning you need. What more needs to happen?” said Pastor.
Despite the email, the lawsuit alleges nothing was done and records show the state left Christian in the group home.
“We trusted the Department of Child Safety. He was in their care,” said Christian’s mom, Bobbie Williams.
According to the lawsuit, another email sent in the weeks before Christian’s death shows a social worker emailed a DCS caseworker and the group home, asking for a nurse to take care of Christian.
The email said, “Hi team, is there any way to advocate for a home nurse for him? It is very alarming they may or may not have appropriate supplies to care for his high medical needs.”
The lawsuit alleges the state again took no action. A month later, in July 2024, Christian died.
“There’s no answers. Frankly, I think maybe that’s why they don’t respond because there’s no excuse for what happened,” Pastor said.
911 call from the group home came too late
Christian died in July while living at a Mesa group home. Staff called 911, but the call for help was ultimately too late to save Christian’s life.
“What’s going on?” the 911 dispatcher asked the woman who made the call from the group home.
“Yes. I have a youth that's refusing insulin or refusing medical help. Won't go anywhere. Now he's making weird noises on the floor,” the employee said to the dispatcher.
“He’s making a scene. Now he’s acting like he’s like dead on the floor,” the group home staffer later told the 911 dispatcher.
“They could have called sooner,” said Bobbie Williams.
Christian’s father, DeForrest Williams, shares similar frustrations.
“We don't want what happened to him to happen to someone else's child,” he said.
Police body camera video shows response
Body camera video obtained by the ABC15 Investigators detailed the Mesa police and Mesa fire response. The video also brought into question whether the group home’s employees were properly trained to manage Christian’s diabetes.
“So now he’s pretending he’s dead on the floor,” a female on scene told the Mesa officer.
The group home employee then told the Mesa officer: “He’s fine. He’s holding his breath.”
Christian was found unconscious when first responders arrived, according to Mesa police and fire reports he died at the hospital a few days later.
The medical examiner ruled his cause of death as diabetic ketoacidosis, a preventable condition caused by not having enough insulin.
Governor Katie Hobbs promised accountability
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said during a press conference in October 2024 that the state was getting answers as quickly as possible.
“It is absolutely something we take very seriously and we’re looking into this,” she said in response to ABC15’s questions at the press conference.
Months later, no new information has been released other than the new emails detailed in the lawsuit. Those emails raise new questions.
“Mr. and Mrs. Williams believed the governor when she said that she’s going to provide answers and that she is going to conduct an investigation. We’re still waiting,” said Pastor.
DCS declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. ABC15 asked for an update on the investigation into Christian’s death. In an updated statement Wednesday DCS said, “Both the law enforcement investigation and the DCS licensing investigation were completed without further action being taken.”
The group home did not respond to ABC15’s request for comment.
Another child with Type 1 diabetes died in DCS custody
The ABC15 Investigators have previously reported on the death of Jakob Blodgett, 9, who died just 18 days after being placed in DCS custody.
Jakob was a Type 1 diabetic, and he died in December of 2022. Records show he was also allowed to refuse his insulin, the lifesaving medication he needed to live, while at another group home contracted by the state.
Christian died less than two years later under similar circumstances while living in another contracted DCS group home.
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