Current:Home > NewsNorth Carolina removes children from a nature therapy program’s care amid a probe of a boy’s death-InfoLens
North Carolina removes children from a nature therapy program’s care amid a probe of a boy’s death
View Date:2024-12-23 14:42:23
LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina health officials said Friday that they are removing all children from the care of a nature-based therapy program nearly two weeks after the death of a 12-year-old New York boy.
The Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release that while it cannot comment on specific details of its investigation of Trails Carolina, this action “needed to be taken to ensure the health and safety of the children.” It’s not clear how many children were being removed. The move comes days after health officials told the program to stop admissions and take other steps to ensure children’s safety while the boy’s death is being investigated.
“The death at Trails Carolina is tragic and concerning,” officials said in the news release. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the child who died, and commit to them that we are conducting a thorough investigation with our county partners and will take every appropriate step based on the outcome of our and other investigations.”
All parents have been notified and the children will be temporarily taken into the care of the Transylvania County Department of Social Services, health officials said. Trails Carolina, which is in Lake Toxaway, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Asheville, describes itself as a nature-based therapy program that helps 10- to 17-year-olds “work through behavioral or emotional difficulties.” The program did not immediately comment on the development Friday.
The cause of the boy’s Feb. 3 death is still pending, but the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release last week that the pathologist who conducted the autopsy told investigators the death appeared not to be natural. The autopsy was performed because his death appeared suspicious since it occurred less than 24 hours after the boy arrived, the sheriff’s office said.
The boy who died was transported by two men from New York to Trails Carolina on Feb. 2 and assigned to a cabin with other minors and four adult staffers, the sheriff’s office said. The next morning, emergency workers responded to a 911 call reporting that the boy was not breathing.
In an affidavit filed with a search warrant, Detective Andrew Patterson stated that when investigators arrived on Feb. 3, the boy was cold to the touch and his body was in rigor mortis. A CPR mask covered the boy’s face and detectives noted possible bruising around his eye, Patterson stated.
A counselor told detectives that after his arrival, the boy refused to eat dinner and was “loud and irate,” but later calmed down and ate snacks, according to the affidavit. The boy would sleep on the bunkhouse floor in a sleeping bag inside a bivy that had an alarm on its zipper triggered when someone tries to exit. The counselor said the boy had a panic attack around midnight and he was checked on at 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., and was stiff and cold to the touch when he was found dead at 7:45 a.m.
The sheriff’s office said Trails Carolina hasn’t completely cooperated with the investigation, something the program has disputed. State officials said in their letter that local Department of Social Services staff were on site the day after the boy died, but they couldn’t access the camp’s children until two days later, state health officials said. Trails Carolina said in a statement that it complied with parents’ preferences after seeking permission for children to speak with investigators.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
- Guns n’ Roses forced to delay St. Louis concert after illness 30 years after 'Riverport Riot'
- Russia’s election commission says the ruling party wins the most votes in occupied Ukrainian regions
- Israeli delegation attends UN heritage conference in Saudi Arabia in first public visit by officials
- NBC's hospital sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' might heal you with laughter: Review
- Tennis phenom Coco Gauff wins U.S. Open at age 19
- Mel Tucker has likely coached last game at Michigan State after sexual harassment probe
- Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 2 foreign aid workers, target Kyiv
- Man accused of killing American tourist in Budapest, putting her body in suitcase: Police
- End may be in sight for Phoenix’s historic heat wave of 110-degree plus weather
Ranking
- When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
- Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker accused of sexually harassing rape survivor
- Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 2 foreign aid workers, target Kyiv
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly higher as investors await US inflation, China economic data
- Ariana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits
- Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death
- Historic Cairo cemetery faces destruction from new highways as Egypt’s government reshapes the city
- Inside Shakira's Fierce New Chapter After Her Breakup With Gerald Piqué
Recommendation
-
Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
-
Moroccan soldiers and aid teams battle to reach remote, quake-hit towns as toll rises past 2,400
-
Hawaii volcano Kilauea erupts after nearly two months of quiet
-
Police announce another confirmed sighting of escaped murderer on the run in Pennsylvania
-
How Saturday Night Live Reacted to Donald Trump’s Win Over Kamala Harris
-
Jennifer Garner's Trainer Wants You to Do This in the Gym
-
Federal railroad inspectors find alarming number of defects on Union Pacific this summer
-
This Best-Selling Earbud Cleaning Pen Has 16,000+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews & It's on Sale