(The Center Square) – Documents to show the number of missing youth in care from the Department of Children and Family Services still “have not been located.”

The Center Square’s Freedom of Information Act request for the number of missing children from 2019 to 2025, filed on Oct. 21, still has not been fulfilled. The FOIA officer said “Once the documents are located, assuming they exist, the FOIA office will review and release records as appropriate.”

The response comes despite state House candidate Bailey Templeton receiving a FOIA response in early October showing a nearly 1,000% increase in the number of missing children from 2023 to 2024 for a total of 166. A DCFS spokesperson told The Center Square that the previously released numbers were “not completely accurate.”

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