New analysis shows number of kids reported missing while in state care

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, said Friday that 1,790 children in the care of the state’s Division of Family and Children Services were reported missing between 2018 and 2022.

“These numbers are ... troubling because ... these are children,” Ossoff said at a news conference in Atlanta. “Children who go missing from care are ... more vulnerable to human trafficking ... and to other threats to their health and safety.”

The news conference was held at Covenant House Georgia, an organization that assists people experiencing homelessness and survivors of trafficking. It’s the second event related to Georgia’s foster care system that Ossoff has held this week.

On Wednesday, Ossoff, who chairs the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, held a hearing in Washington D.C. examining alleged abuse and neglect in the foster care system, along with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. The two senators announced the inquiry in February, which was prompted by an investigation from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in late 2022.

The analysis of children who disappear from foster care placements was conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, at the subcommittee’s request. A federal law enacted in 2014 requires state agencies report a missing child to both law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children within 24 hours of receiving the information, according to Ossoff’s office.

The subcommittee also found that of those 1,790 children reported missing, some were repeatedly reported missing. Over the five-year span from 2018-22, there were nearly 2,500 episodes when a child was reported missing from DFCS care.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children didn’t respond to a request for comment about how this figure compares to other states.

Across the U.S., there is now a shortage of facilities that can take children in foster care, and states are struggling to retain caseworkers who work with vulnerable children and their families. As part of its inquiry, Ossoff announced that the subcommittee obtained an internal audit performed by DFCS earlier this year. That audit, according to the subcommittee, found that while the state agency largely initiated investigations in a timely manner, it also failed to assess and address risks and safety concerns in 84 of the 100 cases that were reviewed.

The state’s Department of Human Services, which oversees DFCS, did not respond to a request for comment about the number of children reported missing. DHS is a department within the administration of Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who could challenge Ossoff in his 2026 reelection bid.