Illinois lawmakers call for DCFS audit on 3-year anniversary of AJ Freund's death: 'We have a failed system'
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A trio of House Republicans have called for an audit at the Department of Child and Family Services.
This month marks three years since AJ Freund was killed at the hands of his parents.
DCFS caseworkers were also supposed to be protecting him.
Now, lawmakers are insisting something in DCFS needs to change.
AJ was just five years old.
He was reported missing in April 2019, but later his parents were convicted of killing him while they were being monitored by DCFS.
State Rep. Tom Weber filed a bill Wednesday morning, calling for the Illinois Auditor General to conduct a performance review of the department.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 CHICAGO APP FOR BREAKING NEWS ALERTS
"Three years later, we're sitting here. It's evidence that we have a failed system, and you know, we're trying to make changes, but we keep seeing the same stories of the same innocent children that end up on the front page of the paper and time and time again, and I'm honestly tired of it," said Rep. Weber.
The group "Roar for AJ" is going to Springfield Thursday, setting out 347 pairs of kid shoes which represents the number of kids who have died.
"Children are being left in homes because their focus is to keep families together. The focus needs to be child protective services not keeping families together when your parents are your abusers," said "Roar of AJ" founder, Tracy Kotzman.