Thousands of Child Abuse Reports in Ariz. Go Uninvestigated

6,000 cases still need review

The director of Arizona's child welfare system says thousands of child abuse hotline reports have not been investigated in recent years, and it's unknown if those children are still at risk of abuse.

Department of Economic Security Director Clarence Carter said Thursday the cases were misclassified as not requiring investigations beginning in 2009. The number of cases rapidly escalated since January as caseloads increased as a new hotline process was put in place.