CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

‘Hero’ child services worker stabbed to death checking on kids, Illinois officials say

Charlotte Observer - 1/5/2022

A 36-year-old investigator with the Department of Children and Family Services has been killed after responding to a report of children in danger at a home in Illinois, officials say.

Deidre Silas died on Jan. 4 after checking in on the home in Thayer, AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said in a statement.

Six children ages 1 to 7 were home when Silas was killed, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell confirmed to McClatchy News.

Sangamon County officials responded to a call of a potential stabbing in the late afternoon of Jan. 4 and found the 36-year-old dead inside, according to a news release.

A 32-year-old suspect, Benjamin Reed, was located at a hospital about 60 miles away, police said. He was arrested and treated for a “minor wound,” the release said.

Silas joined the DCFS in August and previously worked in behavioral health and at the Department of Juvenile Justice.

She was the mother of two children and graduated from Illinois State University in 2008. Silas got her master’s degree at the University of Phoenix, The State-Journal Register reported.

“Kids unleash a lot on you even in the role I’m in, and it hurts your soul,” Silas told Illinois State University in 2011. “But I have always been a people person, and I like helping people.”

Lynch said Silas “dedicated her career to helping young people.”

“This tragedy is a stark reminder that frontline DCFS employees like Deidre do demanding, dangerous and essential jobs every day, often despite inadequate resources and tremendous stress,” she said in the statement.

DCFS Director Marc D. Smith said in a statement he was “deeply saddened” by Silas’ death.

“Social work is more than just a job, it is a calling,” he said. “Deidre responded to this call and dedicated herself to the children, families and communities she served, and we will be forever grateful for her work.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement regarding Silas’ death, calling her a “hero.”

“There is no higher calling than the work to keep children and families safe and Deidre lived that value every single day,” Pritzker said in the statement.

Thayer is a rural town about 23 miles south of Springfield.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or or text “START” to 88788.

©2022 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.