Illinois Department of Children and Family Services

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has fired a contractor who shackled a child during transport despite a DCFS ban on the practice since late last year.

A Chicago woman, who along with her mother were charged with killing pregnant Chicago teen Marlen Ochoa-Lopez and cutting her unborn baby from her womb, gave birth to a baby in early November, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

A man is charged with driving under the influence and child endangerment after an officer stopped him in west suburban Riverside and found a child asleep on a case of beer.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has removed a priest from pastoral duties in the wake of allegations of sexual abuse that took place two decades ago.

A Round Lake Beach woman was arrested Friday for allegedly pimping a 15-year-old girl who she had legal guardianship over.

A Chicago day care is under investigation and a convicted felon working as a school bus driver has been charged months after a mother reported her 4-year-old son with disabilities was left on a bus in the middle of brutally cold winter temperatures for so long he suffered frost bite.

A Chicago day care is under investigation and a convicted felon working as a school bus driver has been charged months after a mother reported her 4-year-old son with disabilities was left on a bus in the middle of brutally cold winter temperatures for so long he suffered frost bite. NBC 5’s Regina Waldroup reports.

A report from the Illinois Department of Public Health indicates a doctor questioned if the woman who brought 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa’s baby into Advocate Christ Medical Center was in fact the child’s mother two weeks after the teen’s grisly murder. NBC 5’s Kate Chappell has the latest details.

A critical new report portrays the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as an agency beset by red tape, where workers feel pressure to keep families together, lack adequate oversight, and are blocked by internal structures from sharing critical information about endangered children.

A new report revealed startling details about the bureaucracy at DCFS, and Governor JB Pritzker promised swift action after the release. NBC 5 Investigates’ Phil Rogers has the details. 

New details emerged Wednesday on the turning point in the AJ Freund investigation.

Baby blue ribbons lined the streets Wednesday of downtown Crystal Lake in memory of 5-year-old Andrew “AJ” Fruend, who police say was beaten and buried by his own parents.

The heartbreaking story of Andrew “AJ” Freund devastated the area, but now some residents are using it as a call to action as they seek to serve as foster parents. NBC 5’s Michelle Relerford has the details. 

The grandmother and foster family of a 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy who was allegedly killed by his parents and buried in a shallow grave in a northwest Chicago suburb released a statement Tuesday saying they were “abruptly” cut out of the boy’s life in the years before his death.

The Crystal Lake parents accused of murdering their 5-year-old son, Andrew “AJ” Freund, are expected to return to court Monday.

The Crystal Lake parents accused of murdering their 5-year-old son, Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund, returned to court Monday. NBC 5’s Kate Chappell has the latest details.

The parents of Andrew “AJ” Freund were each ordered held on $5 million bonds Thursday, one day after they were both charged in the death and disappearance of their 5-year-old son from their home in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

An Illinois judge set bail at $5 million each for the parents of Andrew “AJ” Freund one day after the Crystal Lake couple was charged with murder in the death of their 5-year-old son. 

A Dixmoor woman has been charged with neglecting her elderly mother after the mother and multiple children were found living in squalor Monday in the south suburb.