ATLANTA — A probe into Georgia's foster care system uncovered that nearly 2,000 children in the care of the state's Department of Family and Children Services went missing in a span of four years.
Between the years 2018 and 2022, at least 1,790 children were reported missing while being in DFCS care, according to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that children reported missing from care are left more vulnerable to human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Sen. Jon Ossoff released the new findings on Friday in a news conference at the Covenant House Georgia in his latest probe into the system.
“These numbers are deeply troubling because these are more than numbers. These are children,” he said.
The U.S. senator opened the investigation earlier this year when local media organizations in metro Atlanta looked into the abuse and neglect of foster care children. 11Alive has reported several cases of 'hoteling' for foster children in the Peach State, a term used to describe placing children in state custody in DFCS officers or hotels. It raised questions on the safety and security of children.
Ossoff also had a bipartisan hearing earlier this week on Capitol Hill where two women gave their personal testimonies detailing abuse and neglect in the system.
Georgia parent Rachel Aldridge said at the hearing that her daughter died after DFCS placed her with the child's father and his girlfriend, despite her pleas that it was an unsafe home. Her 2-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, died on March 6, 2018, from blunt force trauma to the head. The girlfriend was convicted of murder.
Sen. Ossoff said Friday that a proper background check was not conducted when the mother expressed her concerns.
Former Georgia Rep. Erica Thomas said she grew up in the foster care system. She is now the founder of Speak Out Loud, a nonprofit that advocates for foster children.
"We have to find these children," and that’s it," said Thomas. "DFACs has to be held accountable for this. It’s not a piece of paperwork gone missing - these were children."
Ossoff said investigators have interviewed more than 100 people and are still reviewing thousands of pages of records.
"This is an investigation about what is being done to protect children who have faced abandonment, who have been orphaned, who have faced severe abuse and neglect in early childhood, in many cases," Ossoff said at his news conference. "I will continue relentlessly to investigate failures to protect the most vulnerable children in our state."
11Alive has reached out to the DFCS for comment on the recent findings. We are still awaiting a response.