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

[Izzylizzy]

Does the camp not know that an "accidental death" could equate to
a NY involuntary manslaughter charge?


"The camp also claimed the sheriff misconstrued the medical examiner's preliminary examination comments and that conversations with detectives and state regulators as well as preliminary reports indicated it was an "accidental death."

Owenby's spokesperson John Nicholson said the sheriff's office stood by the original comments."

Trails Carolina staff where child died blocked social workers, NC health regulators say

State regulators say social workers were blocked from talking with children at a WNC wilderness therapy camp where a 12-year-old camper died.

www.citizen-times.com

 

[Simply Southern]

Does the camp not know that an "accidental death" could equate to
a NY involuntary manslaughter charge?


"The camp also claimed the sheriff misconstrued the medical examiner's preliminary examination comments and that conversations with detectives and state regulators as well as preliminary reports indicated it was an "accidental death."

Owenby's spokesperson John Nicholson said the sheriff's office stood by the original comments."

Trails Carolina staff where child died blocked social workers, NC health regulators say

State regulators say social workers were blocked from talking with children at a WNC wilderness therapy camp where a 12-year-old camper died.

www.citizen-times.com

I don't think NY can charge or prosecute death in North Carolina. NY has no jurisdiction in the state of North Carolina.

I still stand with the statement issued by the Camp referenced above. They would be fools, to commit an act of perjury, to issue a written false statement, while under investigation by every agency with three initials in North Carolina.
There are false claims acts on the federal and state levels that control "advertising", false information to public and more for ALL facilities of ANY type. Schools are included in this as well, Virginia last year prosecuted a school official for making a false public statement to the media.

Moo...

 

[ch_13]

Does the camp not know that an "accidental death" could equate to
a NY involuntary manslaughter charge?


"The camp also claimed the sheriff misconstrued the medical examiner's preliminary examination comments and that conversations with detectives and state regulators as well as preliminary reports indicated it was an "accidental death."

Owenby's spokesperson John Nicholson said the sheriff's office stood by the original comments."

Trails Carolina staff where child died blocked social workers, NC health regulators say

State regulators say social workers were blocked from talking with children at a WNC wilderness therapy camp where a 12-year-old camper died.

www.citizen-times.com

"So, they never blocked access to the kids," D'Alessandro said. "One of the things that was going on was for any of the children to speak with law enforcement or state agencies, they had to ask the parents' permission. They're required by law to do that. And the parents said 'no.'"

It will be very interesting to hear from these parents who supposedly told the camp that their children couldn't speak with police. Exactly what did the camp tell them and were they made aware that a boy had died?

 

[Cartie]

My grandboys sleep in really thin boxers at camp, so they say. But with no air conditioning, only a ceiling fan and 90+ degree nights, I would not be surprised if they did sleep commando at camp. They all shower together in groups of 6, butt naked.
They trust their counselors, and stay in touch with many of

My grandboys sleep in really thin boxers at camp, so they say. But with no air conditioning, only a ceiling fan and 90+ degree nights, I would not be surprised if they did sleep commando at camp. They all shower together in groups of 6, butt naked.
They trust their counselors, and stay in touch with many of them.
Moo...

They have trust in a counselor on 1st night to be comfortable enough to do that, don't think many others would, thankfully.

 

[angelainwi]

Wouldn't there be evidence on the body of being tied up? No evidence found, stated not a natural cause.

Why would this not be included in the search warrant? Warrant stated unnatural cause, no mention of restraint mark, no choking marks

Why would the Behavior Health Board who send staff immediately, not close the facility, if they "hog-tied" the child? I grew up farming, very familiar with hog-tied, it leaves marks, especially if fighting against the restraint.

BHB 100% have the authority, they don't need a judge or court order. BHB staff were onsite, very quickly per the media release. They still have staff on site and DSS is onsite, per media, even on the weekend.

Would all these agencies be protecting the Camp? Why would state agencies leave mental/behavioral clients in a dangerous facility, that ties up children, in a high profile death case?

I believe this could be an unfortunate accident or possible undiagnosed health conditions.

I believe this is a good camp, part of four, able to share policies, ideas, and better placement to meet the child's needs. They have many highly credential staff, and don't think they would be in business, if they were abusing kids. Must less, the counselors risk loss of license and jail.

Yes, there was ONE complaint (6/21) same time frame, media produced a story) for lack of phone calls to parents and according to state reports, unfounded. Yes, paperwork medication errors, common in all ALS, BH, LTC and group homes, no misuse or incorrect drugs given. All corrected with action plans, and state follow up to ensure compliance.

Moo...

Link to BH

NC DHSR MHLCS: Public Records

As part of my vetting process for programs I have talked to the highly credential staff. I have pushed every wilderness camp especially those who claim to be trauma-informed how gooning/adolescent transport which they all highly push on parents is congruent with their stated program values. Most of them say some version of they will never come voluntarily so there is NO other way. They would nervously laugh when the few wilderness programs I did trust despite this awful traumatizing process saw me show up with the teens voluntarily who were in a good mood and ready for treatment. Which is that a better way for them to enter. They acknowledged that in private but said if they started doing that they would have to admit that they were wrong for gooning kids. IF a kid I was working with was giving me a really hard time I would tell them that they were going to get gooned and explain how awful it is, all of them ending up going with me instead. It is not that hard, it can take longer, it can be more messy and unpredictable, but it builds trusts rather than breaking it. Some of the credentialed staff went to ownership to try to get them to soften their stance of recommending every client being gooned but ownership likes gooning...it guarantees repeat clients.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Looky here!

Trails also jumped on the big-big money bandwagon of transgender youth.
You also can send your kid who's addicted to social media for like $700 a day.
What happened to taking away their phones and limiting their time on the internet for just academics?
I have a gut feeling that the camp takes just about every kid no matter what their issues are and lumps them all together.


"Carolina, we want all students to feel free to be themselves. That's why it's so important for us to help students who identify as transgender or gender questioning to feel affirmed and supported in their exploration process.Mar 23, 2023

Accepting And Supporting Students Of All Gender Identities​

Trails Carolina
https://trailscarolina.com › blog › providing-support-gen...

 

[Simply Southern]

I think its a combination of.....

- Camps are located in rural areas of southeren states that are not known for having alot of regulations, inspections, licensing requriments etc.

- I think a certain number of camps are "shells". They rent the property for the time required to hold the camp, provide counselors when the camp is running, but are largely an inter net site. If shut down under one name, they form a new camp under a different name. And... if I lose my license, then the new camp is under my wife's name etc.

Unregistered camps have long gone.

The camp is registered and licensed as a treatment center, and fall under all resident treatment center NC State Code. The guidelines extremely detailed, and I've posted up thread.

NC requires a surety bond from the owner, require bank record, tax statements, proof of solvency, state police background of owner and all staff. Occupancy permit from local county or city, business license, health department inspection of kitchen facilities, fire department inspection, fire alarm certified inspection, pharmacy agreement, general liability insurance building, medical liability insurance, the list is endless. Virginia even requires the Dept of Bedding inspect your mattresses yearly, for bed bugs.

Change in ownership ends the current license, no carry over to next owner, and new owner must produce all the requirements before licenses issued.

Can ya tell, I worked an admin position that frequently opened various healthcare facilities, in the southeast. And I love all these regulations, over site and mountains of paperwork.
Moo

 

[cujenn81]

I think it’s important to note exactly what was sworn to by the investigating officer in the search warrant -- grammatical errors and all.

Search Warrant.pdf

drive.google.com

Spoiler: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Upon entering the structure [responding officers] observed CJH laying in the floor of the bunk house on a mat. The body was in Rigor Mortis at this time and was cold to the touch. CJH was laying on his back with his arms on his chest and his knees bent upwards toward the sky. He was wearing a red hoodie as well as a blue shirt underneath. He also had a CPR mask covering his face. CJH is a while male, with brown hair. He was not wearing any pants or underwear. CJH’s pants and underwear were laying next to his right shoulder. During interviews, camp counselors were asked how his pants got into this position and they did not know.



CJH had Lividity settled into his back when he was examined by Detectives Shook and Gonce. They also noted possible petechial located in the lips and possible eyes. They noted a extended vain on his neck and possible bruising around the eye. Once they rolled the body, CJH began to foam at the mouth, which could’ve indicated that he ingested some sort of poison.



Det. Shook interviewed [name of counselor redacted by me] at the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office located at 153 Public Safety Way, Brevard North Carolina 28712. [The Counselor] then explained CJH’s sleeping arrangements. He describe that CJH would have to sleep on the floor of the bunk house, the base layer of it is a heavy duty plastic that is cut approximately 6 feet and tied on each end with a string, on top of this is a sleeping Bivvy which is considered a small tent. One side is collapsed and the other side is held up by a flex pole.



Inside of this bivvy is where the sleeping bag is placed, and CJH would have to sleep like this on the first night per protocol of Trails Carolina. On the zipper of the bivvy is a small alarm apparatus that is triggered to go off anytime someone tries to exit the bivvy. This device was covered by green tape and was seized along with the other items CJH was sleeping in.



[The Counselor] described how at approximately 12:00-12:30 am, CJH began to experience a panic attack. Him and another counselor stood along the wall while CJH was experience panic and high anxiety. [The Counselor] did not mention if he or other counselors attempted to assist CJH with any easement during his anxiety attack. [The Counselor] also mentioned that CJH could exit the bivvy at any time, but he when he describe any interaction with CJH he kept saying “we” would open or close the bivvy. [The Counselor] also explained that CJH was checked on at 12:00 am, 3:00 am, 6:00 am, and was found dead at 7:45 am, and he was cold to the touch and stiff.

 

[Simply Southern]

As part of my vetting process for programs I have talked to the highly credential staff. I have pushed every wilderness camp especially those who claim to be trauma-informed how gooning/adolescent transport which they all highly push on parents is congruent with their stated program values. Most of them say some version of they will never come voluntarily so there is NO other way. They would nervously laugh when the few wilderness programs I did trust despite this awful traumatizing process saw me show up with the teens voluntarily who were in a good mood and ready for treatment. Which is that a better way for them to enter. They acknowledged that in private but said if they started doing that they would have to admit that they were wrong for gooning kids. IF a kid I was working with was giving me a really hard time I would tell them that they were going to get gooned and explain how awful it is, all of them ending up going with me instead. It is not that hard, it can take longer, it can be more messy and unpredictable, but it builds trusts rather than breaking it. Some of the credentialed staff went to ownership to try to get them to soften their stance of recommending every client being gooned but ownership likes gooning...it guarantees repeat clients.

You are great and compassionate about your clients. I am so grateful you are looking out for our young people. It takes extraordinary, above average skills and a truly trusting relationship to convince a child to go voluntarily. I wish we had a thousand more like you.

I agree the medical transport would terrify me. I do believe from experience, most of these kids will not go voluntarily, they run away and can be suicidal with advance notice. Most use a medical transport went out of state to private centers due to the custody issue during transport.

Those that can not afford out of the box or private treatments, may well wind up handcuffed, in a police car, transporting to a state run facility, if they are lucky.

Most are given a three day hold in a local hospital and told to seek outpatient care.

It is very difficult to obtain inpatient mental health services, lack of facilities, low Medicaid reimbursement, insurance generally covers that only 50% limited days. Most states have a waiting list for inpatient availability for those under 18 yo age, due to liability, the insurance is astronomical. It's a nightmare what families go through seeking care.

I wish there was a better way and we had more therapist like YOU.
Moo

 

[Simply Southern]

Looky here!

Trails also jumped on the big-big money bandwagon of transgender youth.
You also can send your kid who's addicted to social media for like $700 a day.
What happened to taking away their phones and limiting their time on the internet for just academics?
I have a gut feeling that the camp takes just about every kid no matter what their issues are and lumps them all together.


"Carolina, we want all students to feel free to be themselves. That's why it's so important for us to help students who identify as transgender or gender questioning to feel affirmed and supported in their exploration process.Mar 23, 2023

Accepting And Supporting Students Of All Gender Identities​

Trails Carolina
https://trailscarolina.com › blog › providing-support-gen...

I think it's wonderful the camp provides services to transgender individuals. Many suffer emotional from social media, abuse, and need a place free from judgement.

 

[Simply Southern]

I think it’s important to note exactly what was sworn to by the investigating officer in the search warrant -- grammatical errors and all.

Search Warrant.pdf

drive.google.com

Spoiler: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Upon entering the structure [responding officers] observed CJH laying in the floor of the bunk house on a mat. The body was in Rigor Mortis at this time and was cold to the touch. CJH was laying on his back with his arms on his chest and his knees bent upwards toward the sky. He was wearing a red hoodie as well as a blue shirt underneath. He also had a CPR mask covering his face. CJH is a while male, with brown hair. He was not wearing any pants or underwear. CJH’s pants and underwear were laying next to his right shoulder. During interviews, camp counselors were asked how his pants got into this position and they did not know.



CJH had Lividity settled into his back when he was examined by Detectives Shook and Gonce. They also noted possible petechial located in the lips and possible eyes. They noted a extended vain on his neck and possible bruising around the eye. Once they rolled the body, CJH began to foam at the mouth, which could’ve indicated that he ingested some sort of poison.



Det. Shook interviewed [name of counselor redacted by me] at the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office located at 153 Public Safety Way, Brevard North Carolina 28712. [The Counselor] then explained CJH’s sleeping arrangements. He describe that CJH would have to sleep on the floor of the bunk house, the base layer of it is a heavy duty plastic that is cut approximately 6 feet and tied on each end with a string, on top of this is a sleeping Bivvy which is considered a small tent. One side is collapsed and the other side is held up by a flex pole.



Inside of this bivvy is where the sleeping bag is placed, and CJH would have to sleep like this on the first night per protocol of Trails Carolina. On the zipper of the bivvy is a small alarm apparatus that is triggered to go off anytime someone tries to exit the bivvy. This device was covered by green tape and was seized along with the other items CJH was sleeping in.



[The Counselor] described how at approximately 12:00-12:30 am, CJH began to experience a panic attack. Him and another counselor stood along the wall while CJH was experience panic and high anxiety. [The Counselor] did not mention if he or other counselors attempted to assist CJH with any easement during his anxiety attack. [The Counselor] also mentioned that CJH could exit the bivvy at any time, but he when he describe any interaction with CJH he kept saying “we” would open or close the bivvy. [The Counselor] also explained that CJH was checked on at 12:00 am, 3:00 am, 6:00 am, and was found dead at 7:45 am, and he was cold to the touch and stiff.

Thanks for posting

 

[RickshawFan]

"So, they never blocked access to the kids," D'Alessandro said. "One of the things that was going on was for any of the children to speak with law enforcement or state agencies, they had to ask the parents' permission. They're required by law to do that. And the parents said 'no.'"

It will be very interesting to hear from these parents who supposedly told the camp that their children couldn't speak with police. Exactly what did the camp tell them and were they made aware that a boy had died?

AFAIK parental permission would not be required for an interview of a child by a DHS investigator. DHS must have to do this all the time with abused kids: they don't have to get permission. The Camp, however, wouldn't allow DHS access to the campers, as, in addition, they were required to by law.

 

[RickshawFan]

Looky here!

Trails also jumped on the big-big money bandwagon of transgender youth.
You also can send your kid who's addicted to social media for like $700 a day.
What happened to taking away their phones and limiting their time on the internet for just academics?
I have a gut feeling that the camp takes just about every kid no matter what their issues are and lumps them all together.


"Carolina, we want all students to feel free to be themselves. That's why it's so important for us to help students who identify as transgender or gender questioning to feel affirmed and supported in their exploration process.Mar 23, 2023

Accepting And Supporting Students Of All Gender Identities​

Trails Carolina
https://trailscarolina.com › blog › providing-support-gen...

Oh, my. Imagine being a kid trying to figure out sexual orientation and gender identity, and this is somehow considered on a par with violence, trauma, gaming addiction, and acting out?

 

[GRT]

The camp had carte-blanche to so as they liked.

Did the State Inspections have to be scheduled so the camp didn't have to be concerned by a surprise inspection?



'State regulations require an inspection every 12 to 15 months. But inspection reports show that annual inspections sometimes took place at longer intervals.

The last three inspections took place in 2016, 2018 and 2019.


A spokeswoman said inspections were suspended in 2020 during the pandemic, even though Trails Carolina continued to operate.'

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

Trails Carolina, a wilderness therapy camp in the mountains of North Carolina, advertises itself as a place to help children. But interviews with former participants, staff and parents who have sent their children to the camp suggest it may do the opposite.

www.wbtv.com

I don't know how these boot-camp/tough-love camps are allowed to operate in this day and age.


Some of the kids that go there are very likely in need of strong retraining, but this...?

Can you imagine being the parents of this little boy? They were convinced this camp would give him discipline and meaning in his life and instead, he lost his life.

This is all MOO, but I've never been a fan of these types of camps.

 

[tlcya]

AFAIK parental permission would not be required for an interview of a child by a DHS investigator. DHS must have to do this all the time with abused kids: they don't have to get permission. The Camp, however, wouldn't allow DHS access to the campers, as, in addition, they were required to by law.

which is why NC DHHS was compelled to inform them in writing that they had failed to allow DSS access to their other clients and that they are required to allow unlimited and unannounced access to DSS and LE.

I agree with you. To state they needed to get parental permission to allow DSS access to interview them is disingenuous at best and a down right lie at worst. MOO

 

[RickshawFan]

I think it’s important to note exactly what was sworn to by the investigating officer in the search warrant -- grammatical errors and all.

Search Warrant.pdf

drive.google.com

Snipped for focus:

On the warrant. I'm just now looking at the assessed value of all the buildings the company owns. Their buildings aren't worth very much... and then, there's the data. 24,000 acres the company owns. I'd bet that's at several locations. It's only valued at $10 an acre?

There's only heating for 416 sq feet. No bathrooms. Built in 1980. 1 fireplace.

There are photos on the camp's website, but I'm thinking those photos are over several different locations, and there aren't bunkhouses at each location, or maybe there's one at each location. I guess the town doesn't even consider them dwellings?

So much smoke and mirrors I'm thinking.

 

[RickshawFan]

Looking at the warrant.

Why was the bivy alarm covered with green tape? I'm thinking it was disabled, and the zipper heads fixed in place.

And, the person inside it can't open it... See: "we would open and close the bivy". The interviewee said the child could exit the bivy at any time. But Note: nowhere does it say that the child could freely operate the zipper and get out. The wording could just mean the counselors could let him out if he asked.

IMO this is very manipulative word salad. I can only conclude they zipped him in that thing and wouldn't unzip it when he had a panic attack and needed out.

 

[Simply Southern]

Looking at the warrant.

Why was the bivy alarm covered with green tape? I'm thinking it was disabled, and the zipper heads fixed in place.

And, the person inside it can't open it... See: "we would open and close the bivy". The interviewee said the child could exit the bivy at any time. But Note: nowhere does it say that the child could freely operate the zipper and get out. The wording could just mean the counselors could let him out if he asked.

IMO this is very manipulative word salad. I can only conclude they zipped him in that thing and wouldn't unzip it when he had a panic attack and needed out.

Moo...the brief statements in the search warrant request are not the complete interview. These were not quotes, but a summary statement.

LE only releases the minimum to obtain a warrant.
Moo

 

[OddOneOut]

I was thinking hog-tied while on his back, with the wrists by his sides, the knees facing the sky, and the wrists attached to the ankles.

I was thinking the same thing except his arms were on his chest. His wrists wouldn't reach his ankles unless his knees weren't together but spread apart. Even then it is questionable.

Also, maybe he was inside the bivy and was having a medical emergency that they assumed was a panic attack.

 

[tlcya]

I was thinking the same thing except his arms were on his chest. His wrists wouldn't reach his ankles unless his knees weren't together but spread apart. Even then it is questionable.

Also, maybe he was inside the bivy and was having a medical emergency that they assumed was a panic attack.

I am waiting to hear what the medical examiner thinks about the rigor and position CH was found in. It is a very odd position IMO and makes the fact that he was unclothed on his lower half even more confusing for me.