9-year-old died after group home allowed him to refuse insulin, dad says. He’s suing
A 9-year-old boy with Type 1 diabetes died after an Arizona group home allowed him to refuse his insulin, according to a legal claim filed by his father. His dad now has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Before Jakob Blodgett died of diabetes complications on Dec. 23, 2022, he was in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, according to the lawsuit filed Dec. 19. The state then placed him with Sunshine Residential Homes, a group home for children in Glendale.
The boy had been in state custody since Dec. 9, 2022, after his father, Richard Blodgett, was accused of drug possession and arrested, the Associated Press reported.
When asked why Jakob was allowed to refuse his insulin, the director of Sunshine Residential Homes told an investigator they had a policy “not to force medicate any of the children under their care,” according to an incident report by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office opened an investigation into the boy’s death, and that investigation is ongoing, Sgt. Monica Bretado confirmed to McClatchy News on Jan. 12.
“The group home essentially shirked its responsibility to care for this child,” attorney Robert E. Pastor, one of the attorneys representing the lawsuit, told McClatchy News in a statement.
“Its policy is indicative of the fact that Arizona DCS did not impress upon the group home the importance of insulin for a type 1 diabetic and that the group (home) did not understand the life-threatening consequences when it decided to follow its policy instead of doctor’s orders,” Pastor said.
Diabetic ketoacidosis was listed as a contributing cause to Jakob’s death, according to a report by the Maricopa County medical examiner, which lists the manner as natural.
When a person doesn’t have enough insulin, it can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening complication.
Blodgett, of Pinal County, is suing the state of Arizona and Sunshine Residential Homes, accusing them of negligence and causing his son’s death.
Darren DaRonco, a spokesman for the state DCS, told McClatchy News the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
McClatchy News contacted Sunshine Residential Homes and state Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office for comment on Jan. 12 and didn’t receive immediate responses.
What led up to the boy’s death?
Jakob “would be alive today” if he was placed in a foster setting that could properly care for his diabetes, the notice of claim filed June 20, before the lawsuit, says.
Arizona DCS is required by federal and state law to “promote” placing a child with a family member or another appropriate person who knows the child, the lawsuit notes.
According to a DCS memo, the agency should “make reasonable efforts to identify a grandparent, member of the child’s extended family, or person who has significant relationship with the child who can provide care and meet the child’s needs,” according to the lawsuit.
Jakob had a grandmother, Cheryl Doenges, who told ABC 15 the state never reached out to her about caring for her grandson. The outlet first reported the wrongful death lawsuit.
Doenges wasn’t contacted by DCS until Dec. 22, 2022, when doctors believed Jakob was brain dead, Pastor told McClatchy News.
Nearly two weeks earlier — and one day after Jakob entered the state’s custody — he was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for insulin deficiency symptoms on Dec. 10, a complaint says.
He was admitted at the hospital again on Dec. 12, when staff noted he had an insulin pump, the complaint says.
Staff noted Jakob was “at high risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) given his current living situation while in Arizona DCS care.”
On Dec. 15, 2022, Jakob was discharged, and DCS placed him in the care of Sunshine Residential Homes, according to the complaint.
Days later, an employee of the group home reported Dec. 20 that Jakob refused his insulin the night before, the complaint says.
The morning of Dec. 21, the same employee called 911 because Jakob “was having a diabetic episode,” according to the complaint.
He was admitted to the hospital vomiting and in an “altered mental state,” the complaint says.
Imaging showed Jakob’s brain swelled and he was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis, according to the complaint.
The condition typically develops slowly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When untreated, severe symptoms, including nausea and vomiting, occur.
Blodgett traveled from northern Arizona to Phoenix to be with his son at his bedside before he died, Pastor said.
“I don’t understand how they could be so negligent, so cavalier with a little boy’s life,” Doenges told ABC 15.
Issues with the state’s child welfare system
Arizona’s child welfare system has a long history of systemic issues, including a shortage of case workers who aren’t provided with enough training or resources, Pastor told McClatchy News.
“These systemic problems have persisted year-after-year, in part, because Arizona continues to underfund and under protect our most vulnerable populations: children,” Pastor said.
A recent audit of DCS, which was established in 2014, found the agency didn’t investigate foster care and group home complaints in a timely manner, in addition to other findings, The Arizona Republic reported in October.
At a hearing held Jan. 3, two state legislators voted against supporting DCS’ continued operation, the Arizona Capitol Times reported.
Meanwhile, two committee chairs of the state’s House and Senate’s Health and Human Services Committees recommended DCS to continue to operate for four more years, according to the newspaper.
“Arizona’s children, and the people of Arizona, deserve better,” Pastor said.
“It’s time for Governor Hobbs and the Arizona legislature to take a serious look at the problems facing Arizona DCS because no child should die because a case worker did not understand the importance of life-saving medication,” he added.
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 2:35 PM with the headline "9-year-old died after group home allowed him to refuse insulin, dad says. He’s suing."
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