DANVILLE — Travis Messenger began the last day of his life as a runaway.

Earlier this month, the 12-year-old Danville boy who died Monday in a one-vehicle accident near Westville was placed with a foster family in Urbana. After less than a week in foster care, Travis ran away.

Early Monday, the boy was returned to the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and was taken to the Hoopeston Regional Medical Center for a "quick medical evaluation," said Kendall Marlowe, spokesman for DCFS. That's when he slipped away again.

At a candlelit gathering Wednesday evening in Douglas Park, neighbors from the Glendale Mobile Park on Perrysville Road, where the Messenger family has most recently been living, spoke of trying to care for Travis and his twin brother, Trevor Messenger, who also did not want to return to foster care.

"He was just scared," said Kaylee Messenger, the twins' 16-year-old sister. "He just didn't know what to do. I spoke with them every night and told them to just take it easy and it would all work out."

Kaylee called herself the glue that kept the boys and a younger sister, Ashley Messenger, together.

As pieces of the investigation come together, it appears Travis stole a pickup truck from the driveway of a residence about a block from the hospital and headed south toward his hometown on Illinois 1. The stolen truck was in an accident around 5:30 a.m. Monday at Illinois 1 and U.S. 136. According to witnesses, a boy about 12 to 14 years old fled the scene.

About three-tenths of a miles from the accident scene, another vehicle — a minivan — was stolen from a garage.

At some point, a 14-year-old male friend joined Travis, said Capt. Rod Kaag of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department.

Shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, witnesses said the speeding minivan lost control and left 1750 East Road, east of Westville, about where the road surface changes from hard top to gravel, and rolled at least once. Both occupants were thrown from the van.

The boys were taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, where Travis was later pronounced dead at 6 p.m. Monday. The second accident victim, Logan Cudney, remained in critical condition Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the day, Brenda Yoho, principal at Southview Middle School confirmed that the young man in the accident with Travis also attended South View where Travis had been a student.

Marlowe confirmed that DCFS was granted guardianship of Travis Messenger and the three other siblings on July 6.

The case with DCFS has been open at various times since 2009 and included three investigations. The initial report was filed Jan. 28, 2009, and alleged abuse and neglect by the children's mother and father, Marlowe said.

"Credible evidence, however, for the neglect was only substantiated for one child, which was not Travis," Marlowe said.

Marlowe explained that charges of abuse involve someone doing harm or putting a child at risk, while neglect is the failure to prevent harm or risk.

On March 5, 2009, the court held that DCFS would provide support services to the family. Marlowe said he could not say what specific services would be offered because of privacy issues, but the family was allowed to stay together, and the case was open with services being offered from March 5, 2009, to Aug. 11, 2010.

"In the general process, a case is closed if a family no longer needs support or has proven to not seek the support services," he said.

Then on Jan. 24 of this year, DCFS received another report of alleged abuse and neglect against the father, causing the case to be reopened Feb. 10 and services were once again offered.

Marlowe said the agency was unable to substantiate another report against both parents for abuse and neglect on March 2.

"In the course of this family's case, the court granted guardianship of all four children (Kaylee, Travis, Trevor and Ashley) to DCFS July 6 and the children were placed in foster homes," Marlowe said. "The other three children currently remain in foster homes in the care of relatives."

Marlowe said Travis ran away from the Urbana foster home on July 12. Officials indicated that the boy returned to custody more than once this month.

"The general trend in child welfare is to reach out before a crisis occurs and try to steer away from removing children until we have to," Marlowe said. "The problems in this situation are tough to solve. We want people to change, but they have to be able to change."

On Monday when Travis was returned to DCFS custody, he was taken to Hoopeston for a customary medical examination that precedes a return to foster care.

"It's not surprising he was headed back to Danville," Marlowe said. "What we've found is that children in foster care are usually running to things, not away from them. They head to the places and people that they know."

Yoho feels great pain for all concerned.

"All I can say is Travis had a reason to do what he did. It is sad it has had such traumatic results," she said. "At school, we don't always know what families go through, but we try to give the children care and love and an education and make sure they are safe."

"We've lost one student and another is struggling for his life," Yoho added. "It is a very difficult time."

At the gathering Wednesday, Stephen Reed, who had been Travis', Trevor's and Logan's Danville Chargers football coach last season, said he had not been sure if the twins were going to play this year, but had spoken recently with Logan and was expecting him at Monday evening's first practice.

"When he didn't show up, some of the boys told me what happened," Reed said solemnly. "It's really tough knowing the kinds of kids these were. They are great kids, but sometimes kids make mistakes. I only wish I'd had a chance to talk to Travis and maybe get him back on track. That's what parents and mentors are supposed to do."