Family seeks answers after teen's tragic death in LaPorte
LAPORTE, Texas - On November 15, Cody Carlson is seen in a video at The Forgotten Third, a non-profit that provides services to justice-involved youth.
"This is the program that turned my life around," said Cody's sister, Callie Carlson.
The brother and sister grew up in the custody of Child Protective Services. Callie is 18, so she's aged out.
On Wednesday at around 5 a.m., her 16-year-old brother, Cody, was crossing an intersection in LaPorte when he was struck and killed by a tow truck driver.
No charges were filed against the driver.
"I feel like right now I'm going back and forth between denial and understanding that he is gone," said Callie.
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The brother and sister apparently had the same CPS caseworker. She says they had a 3-way call the day before Cody was killed.
She said she asked if CPS could put Cody in a hotel, a common practice for children with no placement.
"She didn't know if Cody was going to stay there or not, if they did place him there, and it was worth the resources, which I think is wrong. You don't know if he's going to stay there unless you bring him in to begin with," Callie said.
Karlton Harris is the Executive Director for The Forgotten Third. He says he talked to the CPS caseworker last month about Cody having nowhere to stay.
"I feel like there's some failures, some accountability with systems where it relates to Cody," said Harris. "I feel as though he should have had a safe place to stay. I don't know what kind of conversations were had behind closed doors. But I know he reached out, and I reached out to CPS, Cody says he needs a place to stay."
That request apparently fell on deaf ears.
It was after usual business hours Friday when FOX 26 reached out to CPS by email seeking a response. However, DFPS Spokesperson Melissa Lanford said in a statement to FOX 26, "Child Protective Services can confirm we are investigating the fatality accident alongside law enforcement and will look into the specific allegations raised by the victim’s family."