Police are investigating the disappearance of five female teenagers from a Castle Hill foster home, all of whom went missing on different days in less than a month. For the security of those living at the home, we are not disclosing its name or location.

 

According to the NYPD, Jy-Lee Connor, 14, left the home at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, and has not been seen since. Police announced that Jayleen Suarez, 15, left the home at 7.30 a.m. on Friday, May 23. Suarez has not yet returned.

 

On Tuesday, May 27, police say Jailynn Gray, 16, left the same home at 7.55 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27, and has not returned. On Tuesday, June 10, police announced that Dezi Whittingham, 15, disappeared after leaving the same home at 12.45 p.m. on Saturday, May 31.

 

While gathering information to complete this story, the NYPD announced on Wednesday, June 11, that a fifth teen, Yelena Baergea, 17, left the home at noon on Sunday, June 7, and has not been seen since.

 

After Grey’s disappearance, Norwood News asked the NYPD press office if the then-four missing persons cases were being handled by the 43^rd Precinct’s Missing Persons Squad or by the Special Victims Unit. Our request went unanswered.

An hour after Baergea left the home, we asked a female employee who was exiting the building about the missing teens. The unidentified woman replied, “I cannot…um…let me tell you… Let me call…” The woman then made a call on her cell phone apparently to her manager, saying, “Mrs. Hobert, I have a reporter in front of the home. Yes. No prob, okay. So, okay. All right. He said there’s a missing teen from the home.”

 

After hanging up, the employee said, “No, she said there’s no public relations.” Asked if she could say who operated the home, the employee replied, “I can’t do that.” She then walked away.

 

We also reached out to the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) who were looking into the matter of the missing youths. Following some research, we asked ACS if Catholic Guardian Services ran the home. We were later informed that it is one of the provider agencies contracted by ACS.

 

On Wednesday, June 11, Norwood News spoke with a Mrs. David at Catholic Guardian Services by phone to inquire about the missing teens. “I can’t talk to you,” she said before she put the phone down for several minutes. During this time, it became clear she was in the middle of a work-related meeting that focused on the children being cared for at the home and the services they provide or do not provide, such as beds. Later, on picking up the phone, David promised someone would respond to our inquiry.

Norwood News also reached out to the Archdiocese of New York, as well as Catholic Charities to ask about any potential affiliation to Catholic Guardian Services as they all share the same First Avenue address. We had not received a response as of press date.

 

On June 11, we spoke with a young woman who was a former resident of the facility, who said it caters to teenagers and young women who are in the foster care system and pregnant. The former client said, “They treated me like sh*t.” She added, “These staff members (are) basically there for a paycheck.”

 

The former client of the home also alleged that staff members don’t care about the health or wellbeing of clients, and that staff members round up babies and place them in the center of the living room and “watch TV.”

 

The former client continued, “I know a lot of the girls when they are there, the support, it’s like they don’t get any guidance from actual adults that care about them, so they end up doing their own thing. And since they kind of live near the projects, a lot of predators kind of like try to talk to the girls.”

 

The former client added that she applied for a job at the home, explaining, “Because I wanted to be different than the staff that was there.” She said she was never called in for an interview.

According to its website, Catholic Guardian Services, a non-profit, had an operating budget of $84,305,683 for fiscal year 2022-2023, with $82,484,284 paid by taxpayers. A March 2023 disclaimer from Wikipedia on the Wikipedia page for Catholic Guardian Services, reads, “This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject’s importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance.”

 

According to Wikipedia, Catholic Guardian Services oversees 34 residential facilities and employs 1,200 employees. It is a human services nonprofit, and its programs assist members of the disadvantaged population of the New York metropolitan area. It is sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and operates fifteen distinct programs, providing a range of services.

 

These include services in the areas of child abuse and neglect prevention, foster care, maternity services, and developmental disabilities. Its mission is also supported remotely by over 600 foster and adoptive parents. CGS’s programs and services are delivered in partnership with the Archdiocese of New York, the New York City government, the New York State government, education agencies, foundations, policymakers, and advocacy groups.

 

An ACS spokesperson later shared the following statement with us in response to our inquiries. “We always prioritize the safety and well-being of our youth in foster care. In the event that a young person in foster care leaves their foster care placement and cannot be found, our investigative consultants work closely with law enforcement and the young person’s foster care agency to locate the young person and ensure their safety.  Over the past several years, we have also expanded resources for youth in foster care to connect them to positive role models, and to promote their safety and success.”

We were informed by ACS that NYS law prohibits the agency from disclosing whether or not a child is in foster care as the case information is confidential. We were also informed that ACS has around 120 investigative consultants, who are retired NYPD detectives, on staff who work closely with law enforcement to support the agency’s most vulnerable youth and teenagers and help locate them if they go missing.

 

ACS representatives said anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect is urged to call 911 or 1 (800) 342-3720.

 

May marked National Foster Care Month, a time to raise awareness about the challenges faced by children and youth in foster care and to recognize the dedicated individuals who support them.

 

Separate from this incident, a number of people from Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, University Heights, and Williamsbridge in recent weeks. Click here, here here, here, here and here for more details. Additionally, as reported, it’s been reported that the body of a missing 2-year-old boy from the South Bronx was found in the East River in recent days and that the little boy’s father has since been arrested and charged in connection with his death.