A teenager who’d been under the care of the Kansas Department for Children and Families since 2017 was found dead in an empty lot after running away on April 11th. The teen’s body was discovered on April 15th, but his cause of death has not yet been determined, and the DCF hadn’t released news of his passing until inquiries were made by the Kansas City Star. Ace Scott, who was 15 years old and identified as transgender, “experienced placement instability” and had run away in the past, the DCF said in a statement. After running away in March, Scott was hospitalized due to “concerns related to a known medical condition,” and discharged on April 11th, the DCF said. “I am so deeply saddened by the passing of Ace Scott, and a life cut so tragically short,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard said in a statement. “Know too that DCF is taking all actions at our disposal to better understand the circumstances of this case and to identify the types of services or supports that might prevent a tragedy like this from happening in the future.” Members of Scott’s family have been contacted to arrange a memorial service.
