State office investigating 11-year-old boy's death; Inspector General: Reviewing all records of the Zavala case

Herald News, The (Joliet, IL)

Author: Cindy Wojdyla Cain

The state's Inspector General's office is investigating the death of a boy whose skeletal remains were found in an Iroquois County farm field on April 18.

Nicolas Zavala, 11, was a Department of Children and Family Services ward. Guardian Angel Home in Joliet managed the boy's case, one of about 30 it handles for the state.

Zavala was sent to live with his maternal grandmother in February 2002 in a temporary custody agreement approved by former Will County Judge Thomas Thanas.

When the grandmother, Margaret Williams, failed to report for foster parent training, Indiana officials denied the custody placement on March 25.

The boy was reported missing on April 13. [sic]

In a news report that appeared April 26, a DCFS official said Guardian Angel Home officials "... were kind of pushing to get rid of this case because the kid was in Indiana."

But in a press release issued last week, DCFS corrected the comment and said it had left an incorrect impression.

"Today, with a better understanding of the facts, DCFS acknowledges that Guardian Angel Home did indeed make considerable efforts on behalf of Nicolas Zavala."

Sheila Schmitz, Guardian Angel Home's executive director, welcomed the correction.

"We're very pleased they cleared the air and said what they did," Schmitz said.

She would not comment further on what actions the agency took after Indiana denied the placement.

"The agreement we made with DCFS is we would release the press release and that would be all either party would say at this point," she said.

Guardian Angel Home began as an orphanage in 1897 and switched to a social services center for children and adults in the 1960s.

Because its foster child program is small, most staffers know the children, Schmitz said.

"We're all very heartbroken," she said of Zavalas' death. "He was a lively, sweet kid."

The Inspector General plans to review all records connected to the case.

"After all the facts are known, DCFS will sit down with Guardian Angel Home and discuss them, along with a plan to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again," according to the DCFS statement.