NC - 12-year-old dies at Trails Carolina wilderness therapy camp, Lake Toxaway, February 2024

[CuriousCricket]

I'm surprised, too. The Feds need to crack down. In fact, I thought they did years ago. Very disappointing to learn of these cases.

JMO

Maybe the gooning companies might have a private plane? or the flight might be chartered?

 

[tarabull]

A camp of this caliber did not have medical staff. Apparently, they have been entrusted with the care of minors. These minors either have behavioral, addictions or medical problems. Was NARCAN available? What was response time of medical attention? Lots of puzzle pieces missing.

welcome @4NsikartZ - thanks for joining us.

 

[MsMarple]

A camp of this caliber did not have medical staff. Apparently, they have been entrusted with the care of minors. These minors either have behavioral, addictions or medical problems. Was NARCAN available? What was response time of medical attention? Lots of puzzle pieces missing.

Yes, that what is so surprising- that the only doctor was a “consulting physician” as opposed to a doctor on site.

And no nurses. So who exactly was administering meds to the campers?

 

[RickshawFan]

If so, I wonder if they are seated with other passengers. Or, perhaps, they are transported on a plane just for them? An extra or chartered flight?

ETA: or chartered

Maybe at the back of the plane, and they're loaded first. Marshals move prisoners around, too, like when they're being extradited.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Re the death of the boy

Could it be the result of "hazing" of a newbie by other teens?

Just a thought.

It could happen at night while adults were asleep.

Strange things sometimes happen at camps.

JMO

BBM

Does anyone know if the counselor(s) had been required to stay overnight in the cabins with the kids?

I've read 3 things about Trail's counselors and the cabins and none answers that question.

iirc:
That 2 counselors stood by and watched as the 12 yr old boy had the claimed panic attack.

That there are 4 counselors assigned to each cabin but nothing was said about each 24 hour day and how shifts were broken up.

When Trails was informed they couldn't accept any new kids one of their other rules/restrictions was that a counselor had to remain awake throughout the night in the cabins.

Were the 2 counselors who were on shift when he died positioned elsewhere on the premises and camp rules were to check the cabin every 3 hrs like they claimed they did that night?

 

[Izzylizzy]

Yes, that what is so surprising- that the only doctor was a “consulting physician” as opposed to a doctor on site.

And no nurses. So who exactly was administering meds to the campers?

BBM
Counselors/staff"

That question came up awhile ago.
Did they give him any meds and if so what meds?

Meds he arrived with prescribed by his NY doctor or in-house meds that the camp doctor gives the camp?
The counselor did say that when he arrived he was "loud" and "irate" and wouldn't eat dinner.

Then they said he calmed down and then ate some snacks,
Did he calm down from being medicated?

Next thing we're told is it's midnight and he had a panic attack.
Whatever the truth is that the boy experienced at midnight was he given meds again along with god knows what else happened to him?

I'm curious if the family hired their own pathologist for a 2nd autopsy?
I find it hard to believe they haven;t.
Another benefit for them is it will be months before NC autopsy is completed.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article285417377.html

 

[borndem]

Welcome to Websleuths, ​

4NsikartZ !!​

 

[Stunned]

If so, I wonder if they are seated with other passengers. Or, perhaps, they are transported on a plane just for them? An extra or chartered flight?

ETA: or chartered

They'd have to be on a charter or a private or drugged. I'd be screaming my head off if my parents had ever pulled something like this on me! (Although in all probability it would have been my brother or sister!)

 

[borndem]

Yes, that what is so surprising- that the only doctor was a “consulting physician” as opposed to a doctor on site.

And no nurses. So who exactly was administering meds to the campers?

bbm
So if a camper broke his arm or leg or knee or had a seizure or a very bad cut and was bleeding badly, etc., how long would that camper be in pain, etc., before a doc came in to set or repair or fix or administer whatever?
Oh, my, I wonder if those who do administer meds would have a flippin' clue if one of their campers might be allergic to a drug or some other concoction.
Would there be any pre-admittance paperwork about that? Would the parents/guardians have sent that info in to Trails prior to his being "escorted" to Trails? Oh, my stars.
Could that have happened to that scared 12 year-old who is now deceased?
Damn.

 

[Izzylizzy]

They'd have to be on a charter or a private or drugged. I'd be screaming my head off if my parents had ever pulled something like this on me! (Although in all probability it would have been my brother or sister!)

I've read that it's around $7,000 to have your child kidnapped and left with as much or more trauma then they were left with from being held hostage in these evil camps.
Many of the victims speak about how that experience is what totally shattered their relationship with their parents.

 

[borndem]

I've read that it's around $7,000 to have your child kidnapped and left with as much or more trauma then they were left with from being held hostage in these evil camps.
Many of the victims speak about how that experience is what totally shattered their relationship with their parents.

bbm
That comes as no surprise to me, SMH.
IMO, it would be very difficult for the child or teen to ever trust his or her parents again, even though the parents (at least in some cases) were truly trying to help their child.

 

[Izzylizzy]

bbm
Oh, my, I wonder if those who do administer meds would have a flippin' clue if one of their campers might be allergic to a drug or some other concoction.
Would there be any pre-admittance paperwork about that? Would the parents/guardians have sent that info in to Trails prior to his being "escorted" to Trails? Oh, my stars.
Could that have happened to that scared 12 year old who is now deceased?
Damn.

BBM
That was one of Trail's violations

New inspection finds more problems at wilderness therapy camp for kids, teens

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services cited a camp that offers wilderness therapy to children and teens for violating state regulations following an inspection in late June. Prior to it's June inspection, the last time regulators had visited Trails Carolina was March 2019.

www.wbtv.com

bbm
That comes as no surprise to me, SMH.
IMO, it would be very difficult for the child or teen to ever trust his or her parents again, even though the parents (at least in some cases) were truly trying to help their child.

Most of these kids probably go home after they're released from these camps and still being a minor they have no idea if their parents will do it again.
I can't begin to imagine having lived through it the first time and then living with the fear and panic of knowing it could happen again anytime and anywhere.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Trails even made it into Travelstype last December.

Trails Carolina Abuse || Reality Behind Wilderness Therapy​

The issue of Trails Carolina Abuse has garnered significant attention, raising serious questions about the practices and ethics in wilderness

travelstype.com

 

[Protectwomenandgirls]

Re the death of the boy

Could it be the result of "hazing" of a newbie by other teens?

Just a thought.

It could happen at night while adults were asleep.

Strange things sometimes happen at camps.

JMO

This is what I was thinking...
was worried he could have been attacked by another/other resident(s) of the bunkhouse and was not able to fight back because he was restrained

 

[Protectwomenandgirls]

BBM

Does anyone know if the counselor(s) had been required to stay overnight in the cabins with the kids?

I've read 3 things about Trail's counselors and the cabins and none answers that question.

iirc:
That 2 counselors stood by and watched as the 12 yr old boy had the claimed panic attack.

That there are 4 counselors assigned to each cabin but nothing was said about each 24 hour day and how shifts were broken up.

When Trails was informed they couldn't accept any new kids one of their other rules/restrictions was that a counselor had to remain awake throughout the night in the cabins.

Were the 2 counselors who were on shift when he died positioned elsewhere on the premises and camp rules were to check the cabin every 3 hrs like they claimed they did that night?

In the documentation that was released the counselors were checking the cabin intermittently, every few hours. There is nothing to indicate that they were sleeping in the cabin or sleeping on site. To me it seemed like an overnight shift

 

[tlcya]

In a page-long response to the children’s removal from the camp, Trails Carolina slammed the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for taking students with complex mental health diagnoses from its care with such short notice for parents. It said the state forced “18 vulnerable children” to leave “a safe healing space against their parents’ wishes.”

“Parents believe the program is safe and do not want their children’s treatment disrupted by the State, which has continued to make reckless decisions based on false and misleading information from the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office,” said the statement, which was issued through a public relations firm.
Officials order all children removed from North Carolina wilderness camp where boy died

backreading because I've been offline for the long weekend. Went looking for the entire page long statement from the Trails spin doctors. it is as follows and I am livid at the sheer audacity.

After 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 15, DHHS threatened and intimidated parents by demanding parents travel from all over the country to pick up their children or DHHS would take their children into custody. The children were receiving high-level clinical care for complex mental health diagnoses requiring experienced professionals with full knowledge of critical medications and specialized treatment regimens. Normally, locating alternative programs and matching children for placement takes several weeks. This negligent and reckless move by the State denied parents the opportunity to continue to care for their children in the appropriate manner. 100% of parents did not want their children to leave the program (See What Parents Have to Say).

Parents believe the program is safe and do not want their children’s treatment disrupted by the State, which has continued to make reckless decisions based on false and misleading information from the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Local, experienced, and knowledgeable DSS social workers on-site have indicated in written reports and conversations with program staff that kids are safe, properly supervised and at no risk of harm.

Previously undisclosed by the Sheriff was the illegal and unauthorized removal of four young boys, ages 10-12, on the evening of Feb. 6. The boys were detained at the Sheriff’s Office until 1 a.m. Parents called the Sheriff to prevent the infliction of further trauma on the boys, who had not yet been informed of the tragedy. Parents were lied to as the Sheriff stated he did have not custody of the children, and the children were not on the premises.

We grieve with the family of the student who tragically passed and have promised to do everything we can to determine what happened. Based upon preliminary findings by state agencies, internal investigation, information and conversations with officials, staff, and known experts, everything points to an accidental death. The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office has maintained a biased approach in what appears to be an attempt to close a program that has successfully treated and helped restore and heal more than 2,700 families’ and saved lives.

The impact of the State’s reckless actions is far-reaching. The 18 vulnerable children forced to leave a safe healing space against their parents' wishes have suffered permanent, serious and unnecessary harm. There are limited places where parents can turn to find the necessary care for severe mental health diagnoses and complex treatment; this is a tragic and unnecessary loss for parents, children, and 75+ staff members who have poured their heart and soul into helping kids.

The Sheriff and DHHS likely did not have the evidence to close the program and take its license through appropriate and generally accepted judicial review. Calling and intimidating parents to pick up their children was an attempt to achieve their nefarious goal while avoiding fair and appropriate due process with full factual disclosures.

Trails Carolina
Trails Carolina responds to officials removing children from camp following recent death

 

[tlcya]

wasn't so safe for CJH apparently. His treatment ended very badly before it had even begun. MOO

 

[CuriousCricket]

backreading because I've been offline for the long weekend. Went looking for the entire page long statement from the Trails spin doctors. it is as follows and I am livid at the sheer audacity.

I'm in the "Me thinks they (the camp) doth protest too much" camp.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Are they joking? Their claims of an "accident".... as if he just rolled out of bed in his sleep or something...smh

 

[iusedtofloat]

@monkey222 according to website, students can gain high school credits in the camp's academic program. This is a camp for kids with emotional, mental, behavourial struggles

Nature-Based Therapeutic Boarding School For Youth| Trails Carolina

Trails Carolina goes beyond as a top therapeutic boarding school by combining accredited academics with experiential wilderness education.

trailscarolina.com

I wish these programs helped as advertised.
Paris Hilton desperately fights these programs since she herself was a victim,d

2021
‘It’s beyond cruel’: Inside an N.C. wilderness therapy program for teens

Trails Carolina is licensed by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services as a residential therapeutic camp.

Generally, therapeutic wilderness programs cost big money, upwards of $30,000 or more for a child’s three-month stay.

But Reilly and others described an experience that left them worse than when they arrived: weeks in the wilderness without access to showers or other basic hygiene, what they described as emotional and psychological trauma and little time with a trained therapist.

Most of their time was spent with their group of eight to 12 students, living in tents in the woods.

The participants are accompanied by three staff members, who are not trained as therapists and work for minimum wage, who are responsible for their day-to-day activities.

Another former participant, who attended for three months in 2017 and spoke with WBTV on the condition his name not be used, shared an experience similar to Reilly’s.

During weeks in the woods, the participant said, staff limited access to the bathroom.

As a result, he recalled, he defecated in his pants. He was forced to wear that same pair of pants for two weeks, he said.

[Staff] often sought to change behaviors through negative reinforcement and ridicule.

“There was a lot of shaming,” he said.

“Quote, unquote ‘therapy’ revolves around building resilience through, you know, physical hardship, sort of like a military, uh, boot camp or like seal training or something. But the problem was, you know, there are still safety measures in those sorts of environments. Not here.”