The state’s child welfare agency has found a Springfield man negligent in the March 16 drowning death of a 7-year-old foster child in the man’s care.
An investigation completed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on June 28 concluded that neglect by David Yankee led to the death of Barrett Koches, DCFS spokesperson Heather Tarczan said July 1.
“This is just such a profound tragedy,” she told Illinois Times.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser said he hasn’t decided yet whether to file criminal charges against anyone in the incident and is “waiting on additional reports” from investigators. He wouldn’t elaborate.
The DCFS findings, by themselves, don’t trigger any other punishment of the couple by DCFS, Tarczan said. But the agency could take the findings into account in considering whether to allow the Yankees to care for any foster children in the future, she said.
When reached by phone, David Yankee, 47, a certified financial adviser, said he and his husband are declining comment at this time.
Yankee ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 4 seat on the Springfield City Council in 2023.
The Yankees’ three foster children, all boys, were left without adult supervision for almost an hour after David left to go to the Walmart on North Dirksen Parkway at about 11:40 a.m. March 16, according to Springfield police reports.
The two remaining foster children, a 10-year-old unidentified boy, as well as Barrett’s 4-year-old brother, Ryder, were removed from the home by DCFS after the drowning.
The Yankees, who police said had been foster parents for eight years, currently have no foster children, according to Tarczan.
Barrett had been living with the Yankees for “approximately a month,” police said. He was found face-down in the home’s uncovered pool, according to police reports obtained by Illinois Times through the Freedom of Information Act.
David Yankee told police that when he left for Walmart, he planned to go to a bank inside the store. Reports quoted Yankee as saying he wanted to either deposit money or cash a check at the bank – both tasks were mentioned – so he “could take the children downtown.”
Police said Yankee “told the children to stay inside and to not go outside.”
While at the store, Yankee “got distracted in the clearance and Easter aisle, so he took longer in Walmart than expected,” reports said.
Police said the entry gate to the fenced-in backyard where the pool was located didn’t have locks or evidence of other safety measures to prevent unauthorized access to the pool.
“Access to the pool could easily be made by entering from the garage or rear of the house,” reports said.
Michael Yankee “was not home at the time of the incident” and “had not been home since the morning when he left for work at Kohl’s,” according to reports.
The 10-year-old boy told police that the 4-year-old “threw a brick into the shallow end of the pool. Barrett jumped into the pool to retrieve the brick. Barrett threw the brick out of the pool and attempted to get out. Barrett slipped in the shallow end of the pool and, as a result, slid into the deep end.”
The water, which was a “murky black/brown,” appeared to be five feet deep at the center of the pool, police said. “The pool was left uncovered, and due to this, debris and water accumulated at the bottom, along with the remaining water left after seasonal emptying,” reports said.
Police and other emergency responders were alerted after the 10-year-old ran out to the front of the house and got the attention of a FedEx driver who then called for help. Police said the children didn’t have access to a phone for emergencies.
A Springfield firefighter and a city police officer pulled Barrett out of the pool, and firefighters began to perform CPR. Barrett was transported by ambulance to HSHS St. John’s Hospital, where medical staff worked on him before pronouncing him dead at 1 p.m.
She cited an Illinois statute that defines a “neglected minor,” in part, as “any minor under the age of 14 whose parents or other person responsible for the minor’s welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety or welfare of that minor.”
News about Barrett’s death has spread on social media, and a handful of local residents gathered June 28 outside a DCFS office on North Walnut Street to protest. They held signs that said: “Justice for Barrett,” “The System Has Failed Barrett” and “How Many More Kids Have to Die? Take Action!”
The organizer, Cheryl Britz, told Illinois Times she is a retired public aid worker and former foster parent who decided to organize a rally after seeing media reports about Barrett's death. She said she is frustrated that criminal charges haven't been filed against the foster parents.
