Richard Blodgett, a single father from Arizona, is demanding an explanation for what transpired after his 9-year-old son Jakob passed away in state custody while his father was incarcerated on a narcotics possession charge.
Jakob was diagnosed with diabetes as a youngster, and a medical examiner determined that his death in late December was natural with complications from the disease. Specifically, he had Type 1 diabetes, which meant that his body wasn’t able to make enough insulin to sustain him.
“Blodgett said he believes the Arizona Department of Child Safety failed in its responsibility to protect his son, either by failing to monitor Jakob’s blood sugar levels or by failing to make sure that he had enough insulin to prevent a serious, life-threatening complication known as ketoacidosis,” according to the report.
Blodgett argues in the report that he only ever took the medications that got him locked up to treat his own discomfort.
“When Blodgett was detained in December, Jakob and his father were residing at a motel. Blodgett, who was already facing a narcotics case and had previously served time in prison, claimed that he worked most of the day operating a backhoe and stopped at a gas station to rest “the report stated.
“According to the police, Blodgett may have dozed asleep due to drug use. In Blodgett’s possession, authorities finally discovered more than 4,000 fentanyl pills.”
According to records from the Navajo County Superior Court, Blodgett was detained and charged with one count of marijuana possession. Blodgett admitted to using fentanyl for pain relief after undergoing weight loss surgery that caused him to lose 300 pounds. “I wasn’t using drugs.” I was not mistreating them. I was utilizing them so I could work and support my son.”
According to the paper, although Arizona officials have not commented on the death, it fits with a pattern: “About 26 kids passed away while in the agency’s care in the fiscal year that ended in June, including ones who died from overdoses, illnesses, accidents, and still-unknown causes. The equivalent figure for the prior fiscal year was 14. The numbers equal a fatality rate of roughly 97 per 100,000 – almost double the rate for children in the general population of Arizona.
This follows years of debate over migrant children dying while in American custody, which led Customs and Border Protection to reform its practices on medical checks.