A disabled child’s mom reported him missing. He was in federal custody for 48 days.

A disabled child’s mom reported him missing. He was in federal custody for 48 days.

This article was published in partnership with The Barbed Wire. Maria Garcia couldn’t bear to attend the nightly meals near Triangle Lake, where for several weeks, the smell of pinto beans, turkey necks, and other soul food staples filled the air outside a federal children’s detention facility in southeast Houston.  The Southern home-cooked meals had become a supportive ritual, one that Garcia appreciated but was too difficult for her to take pa…