A Boy Was Taken Into State Custody. 2 Weeks Later, He Was Dead.

In December, Richard Blodgett’s 9-year-old son, Jakob, was taken into Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) custody. Two weeks later, Jakob had died of complications stemming from diabetes.

The incident, which is now under investigation by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, highlights the dangers children face when they are taken into state care.

“They couldn’t keep him alive for two weeks, two weeks,” Blodgett told the Associated Press. “That’s absolutely insane.”

Jakob was first taken into custody after Blodgett was arrested on drug charges. Blodgett, who already had a drug charge pending against him at the time of arrest, told the A.P. that after operating a backhoe for several hours that day, he pulled over to take a nap at a gas station. A police report confirms this, though officers believe Blodgett was sleeping as a result of drug use. According to the A.P., authorities ultimately found over 4,000 fentanyl pills in Blodgett’s possession. He was then arrested and booked on one count of drug possession.

Blodgett claims he wasn’t using the drugs to get high, but rather to manage pain following a weight loss surgery. “I wasn’t abusing them. I was using them to be able to work and provide for my son,” Blodgett told the A.P. “Unfortunately, they are illegal. I can’t get around that. But they were stronger than my meds, and they were working.”

Jakob, who was staying in the motel room the two shared, was quickly seized by the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Accordin