Missouri's child-welfare agency left a diabetic teen in a foster home not licensed to take him, where he died, and its director admits workers didn't know how to judge child safety.

In May 2026 Missouri Children's Division workers placed a 17-year-old with type 1 diabetes in a foster home in another part of the state that was licensed only for the foster parent's own relatives; workers learned of the error six days later but did not move him, the foster parent asked at least twice for him to be moved, and he died of diabetic ketoacidosis 24 days after placement, according to police records reviewed by the Missouri Independent. In August memos, Division Director Sara Smith wrote that placing a non-relative child in a relative-only home 'is a violation of law and a significant safety risk' and told workers not to delay moving a child when foster parents ask for removal.