The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was added as a defendant Thursday in a lawsuit charging that a South Side foster care facility failed to protect a 17-year-old girl from sexual assault by a manager at the facility.
Yadira Escamilla was supposed to be protected by the agency when she said she was sexually assaulted by an employee of Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, a nonprofit that operated a now-closed residential foster facility on the South Side.
Escamilla, now 20, filed suit last month against Aunt Martha’s and its security contractor, A-Alert Security Services, alleging that they failed to protect her from repeated sexual abuse and grooming in early 2024 despite “obvious indicators of misconduct.”
Attorney Ben Crump held a news conference Thursday to say that the state agency was also being sued in the Court of Claims, which handles claims against state agencies, which have limited immunity from lawsuits.
Crump said attorneys also have been in touch with another girl who said she was victimized at the facility, and that an employee of the facility had refused to cover up evidence of wrongdoing.
“We believe it was not only blood on the hands of Aunt Martha’s and A-Alert Security, but also DCFS and the state of Illinois,” Crump said. “You had employees trying to do the right thing and had people actively try to cover it up. People looked the other way and the state of Illinois seemed to be asleep at the wheel.”
A DCFS spokeswoman declined comment due to the pending litigation.
The manager of the facility, Trulon Henry, 41, was found guilty in March of multiple sexual assault charges, including criminal sexual assault against Escamilla, court records showed. Aunt Martha’s hired the former University of Illinois football player to work with at-risk children even though he had previously been convicted of felony armed robbery.
Henry’s attorney, Sean Brown, filed a motion for a new trial alleging prosecutors failed to prove Henry guilty beyond a reasonable doubt due to a lack of physical evidence and witness credibility.
Amanda Zink, an attorney representing Aunt Martha’s, said they do not comment on pending litigation. A-Alert could not immediately be reached.
As a child, Escamilla said she suffered from physical, emotional and sexual abuse. The Department of Children and Family Services took custody of her when she was about 15, she previously told the Tribune.
Escamilla said she struggled with her mental health, attempting suicide multiple times, and would sometimes rely on substances to cope. These issues, she said, were compounded by instability as she moved between various foster facilities.
None of her temporary homes felt safe, Escamilla said, but when she was transferred to Aunt Martha’s in 2023, she found it was even worse.
She said she was locked in a room downstairs with no security cameras or oversight. That is where she said Henry and sexually assaulted her multiple times over several months in early 2024.
After her initial complaint that another resident told her Henry wanted to see her at night was ignored, she was afraid to report him again. She tried to numb her pain with marijuana vape pens Henry brought her, she said, and she tried to run away, but was caught.
“What hurts the most is that DCFS knew what was going on and they did not stop it or take steps to protect us,” Escamilla said in a statement. “I hope this prompts Governor (JB) Pritzker to make big changes at DCFS. I am not the only victim. There are many foster children who suffered abuse and neglect at Aunt Martha’s. It was a house of horrors for us.”
