PORTER COUNTY, Ind. — Dakota Levi Stevens was like most kids.
The 10-year-old enjoyed playing with blocks to fuel his imagination and busting dance moves to burn some energy off. But he mostly loved being outdoors, says Hayden Hetzel, the boy’s foster dad from 2019-2021.
“Dakota was very adventurous,” he said. “He always loved being outside, looking for bugs in the backyard.”
Hetzel told WGN News that he was lucky to have shared great years with Dakota.
“He never didn’t call me dad,” he said. “He was always like, ‘Dad this, Dad that. Let’s go on a walk.’”
Questions arise following death of 10-year-old Northwest Indiana boy in foster care
A week has passed since Dakota’s death. Hetzel said he still has no answers on how the boy died.
According to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the 200 block of Falcon Way in Valparaiso for a medical emergency involving Dakota. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment but was later pronounced dead.
Indiana’s Department of Child Services said it will help investigate and take action if abuse or neglect is found. But Hetzel says he believes the system that now wants to defend Dakota failed him. Changes be implemented, he added.