How Could You? Hall of Shame-Korbin Papadopoulos case-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Bevier, Missouri, 17-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos died on June 6, 2026. “Autopsy reports list his cause of death as diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening build-up of toxins in the blood that occurs when the body does not have enough insulin. Though police records include a doctor’s note from April showing Korbin was struggling to manage his diabetes and “at high risk” of diabetic ketoacidosis, his foster parent said he didn’t show signs of being sick until a day and a half before his death. After a police investigation, no criminal charges were filed.“

“Korbin had type 1 diabetes and autism, so his caseworker, another division worker and their supervisor searched the state’s foster provider database for a home licensed to handle elevated medical needs.

Between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., they found what seemed like a match, according to a police investigative report obtained by The Independent. Korbin and two workers set off on the 300-mile journey to southwest Missouri with a brown paper bag containing his medications, arriving around midnight.

On May 19, Macon County workers learned they had made a mistake.

The foster parent was licensed only to care for his own relatives, who did not have diabetes, and could not take Korbin. Workers resumed searching for a foster home equipped for the teen’s medical needs.

In the ensuing 18 days, the foster parent asked Macon County workers at least twice to move Korbin, according to police records. On June 6, a Children’s Division supervisor booked transportation to return Korbin to the Macon County division office two days later.

He died that same day, 24 days after arriving in the office.”

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“Korbin first entered foster care in 2019. His father told The Independent he and Korbin’s mother approached Children’s Division for help after their son was diagnosed with diabetes and autism. They couldn’t afford the treatment their son’s doctors advised, Papadopoulos said, and the division indicated they could provide resources.

Jett said she and Papadopoulos went to the division because they “just wanted to get (him) the help he needed so he could have the life he deserves.”

Korbin “didn’t need a family,” Papadopoulos said. “He already had a family.”

Papadopoulos said Korbin had more than 15 placements in residential facilities and foster homes before his death.

“I don’t think we ultimately received the help that he really needed,” he said.

In August 2025, while splitting time between his parents, Korbin drove in his first demolition derby competition. He chose 13 for his car, which is his dad’s demolition derby number, with a K for his name — and he won. In a photo from that day, Korbin is hefting a trophy half his height and his prize money for smashing the other drivers’ cars into submission.”

“Korbin spent about a year in a trial placement split between his parents, but re-entered foster care in May when aggressive behavior and problems managing his diabetes persisted.

Macon County staff searching for a placement for Korbin in May relied on the division’s foster family database. One worker called prospective foster parents, while the supervisor searched for licensed medical foster homes, according to police reports.

After Korbin’s death, the worker who made the phone call told police she did not ask the foster parent in southwest Missouri if he was a medical provider.

“I did not ask him specifically if he was a medical provider because (the supervisor) had clicked those selections,” she told police.

The worker told police she informed the foster parent “that Korbin was a type 1 diabetic, that he managed his medications pretty well on his own, that he’d done that for years.””

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“By early June, however, Korbin was getting sick.

The foster parent told police that Children’s Division workers never explained to him exactly what Korbin needed to do to manage his diabetes or how he could help. He didn’t know when Korbin was supposed to check his levels or how often.

The battery on Korbin’s insulin pump died before his death and was never recharged. The device, which is worn externally and delivers insulin under the skin, was still dead when his belongings were returned to his parents, according to data his father downloaded from the device and shared with police.

Korbin’s foster parent told police that the teen ran out of replacement Dexcom blood sugar monitors, which can take continuous glucose readings using a sensor under the skin. They called the pharmacy, the foster parent told police, but were notified that Korbin’s prescription had expired and that he would need a new prescription from a diabetes specialist.

On June 2, the evening after Korbin’s check-up with the nurse practitioner, the teen called emergency medical services to check his blood sugar because he was feeling hot, which can be a sign of high glucose levels. Korbin’s levels were elevated, according to police records, but he told his foster parent he’d be fine if he took his insulin shots.

A day and a half before Korbin died, he started throwing up. His foster parent’s youngest grandkid was also sick, so he told police he thought it might have been a stomach bug.

On June 6, the foster parent thought Korbin might be improving because he was throwing up less, though the teen had been unable to keep much food down.

The foster parent told police he kept asking Korbin whether he needed to go to urgent care, but the teen said he was alright. When the foster parent tried to wake Korbin so he could take him to urgent care, he told police, the teen’s fingernails were already blue.

“They should have trained me better,” he told police, “and they should only take him somewhere where they could have known something about diabetes.””

Missouri placed diabetic teen in a foster home not licensed to take him. He died 24 days later

[Missouri Independent 8/21/26 by STEPH QUINN]

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