Department of Children and Family Services

Virtual adoption ceremonies will be held Saturday as part of National Adoption Day for 149 foster children who have found their permanent homes amid a pandemic.

A mother accused of killing her 4-year-old daughter pleaded not guilty to murder charges in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday. The news came as the NBC4 I-Team has learned the mother has a long history with the county’s child welfare system and may have only recently gotten custody of the little girl and her siblings. Akira Smith,35, is...

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services is continuing its job of protecting children from abusive households, even during the COVID-19 quarantine. The department is now looking for new solutions to work without the risk of spreading the infection. Lolita Lopez reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2020.

The parents of a 4-year-old Palmdale boy are set to be arraigned April 15 on a grand jury indictment charging them with murder and other counts in connection with their son’s death last summer. At the defense’s request, arraignment was delayed Wednesday for Jose Maria Cuatro Jr., 28, and Ursula Elaine Juarez, 26, who were indicted on one count each…

A state appeals court panel refused Thursday to reconsider its ruling that directed a lower court to dismiss charges against four social workers who were accused of failing to protect an 8-year-old Antelope Valley boy killed in May 2013. Los Angeles County prosecutors had asked the three-justice panel to either re-hear or modify its opinion in the case of social…

The parents of a 4-year-old Palmdale boy pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and torture charges stemming from their son’s death last July. Jose Maria Cuatro Jr., 28, and Ursula Elaine Juarez, 25, are charged with one count each of murder and torture in the death of their son, Noah. Cuatro is also charged with one count of assault on…

A judge signed an order to remove the boy from his parents’ home, but it was never executed. Lolita Lopez reports for NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2019.

After ten months of investigation, authorities arrested and charged a 21-year-old mother in the death of her child from blunt force neck trauma.

The great-grandmother of a 4-year-old Palmdale boy whose death was originally reported as a drowning but has led to an investigation of possible child abuse filed a multimillion-dollar damages claims against the county, the first step toward a lawsuit, her attorney announced Wednesday.

The prosecution announced Wednesday that the death penalty will be sought against a Lancaster woman and her boyfriend, who are charged with the torture-murder of her 10-year-old son.

Relatives of a 10-year-old Lancaster boy who died after what prosecutors allege was extensive torture by his mother and her boyfriend announced a $50 million lawsuit against the county Thursday, alleging social workers botched the handling of his case.

Los Angeles County supervisors are asking for a full review of how the county handled the case of 4-year-old Noah Cuatro before he died. Lolita Lopez reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

The hospital that treated the infant child who was ripped from his mother’s womb after her grisly slaying in Chicago says bills sent to the infant’s father were an “error.”

The mother-daughter duo accused of killing a pregnant Chicago teen before cutting her unborn baby from her womb and claiming it as their own are now facing a new murder charge- for the infant’s death.

Noah’s great grandmother is demanding the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services make documents about the case public amid increasing evidence of abuse. Angie Crouch reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m., Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

A boy who died Saturday under suspicious circumstances in Palmdale could have been removed from the custody of his parents in May, the NBC4 I-Team has learned.

An investigation was underway Wednesday into the death of a 4-year-old Palmdale boy who was reported to have been injured in a near drowning but had trauma injuries that raised suspicion about how he died.

The raids were carried out early Wednesday morning and targeted the gang as part of an ongoing investigation into the murder of Bradley Hanaway, a 34-year-old homeless man who was accosted and shot to death as he slept at the Valley Plaza Recreation Center in North Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

A mom on a playground didn’t like what she saw, so she pulled out her cellphone and captured this video. A Lancaster daycare provider is now under investigation for what she allegedly did to a 9-year-old girl with autism.

An investigation was launched into possible abuse by a caregiver who was caught on video allegedly hitting a special-needs child at a Lancaster park, authorities said Tuesday.