Unanswered questions surround tragic death of 10-year-old boy in foster care in Richmond Indiana.
A young boy’s death in Northwest Indiana has been shrouded in mystery after he reportedly died in foster care.
Now his loved ones said they are searching for answers.
Porter County Sheriff’s officials have launched an investigation into the 10-year-old’s death, but police are keeping details of the case close to the vest.
As of Wednesday evening, the child’s autopsy results were still pending.
The boy has been identified by family members as Dakota Levi Stevens. They told FOX 32 Chicago he had been living in foster care for several years.
“I’m just, I’m heartbroken,” said Sabrina Hetzel, Dakota’s former foster grandmother. “He was put in foster care to be protected but he was not.”
Around 2:30 p.m. last Thursday, paramedics were called to a home in the 200 block of Falcon Way in Liberty Township, near Valparaiso, for a ‘medical emergency.’
Neighbors said first responders performed CPR on the child and rushed the boy to the hospital, where he died over the weekend.
Police are calling the situation ‘tragic’ but were not able to release additional details Wednesday.
“He deserves justice. I mean, this kid was dealt a wrong hand at life,” said Hayden Hetzel, Dakota’s former foster father.
Hayden Hetzel was the boy’s foster dad for nearly three years, beginning in 2019. He said the boy was intelligent, funny, and loved to explore.
