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

[cujenn81]

it can also be caused by asphyxia per this site https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/medical-equipment/airway-management/articles/asphyxia-by-any-other-name-is-just-as-deadly-gVNxRzrB0na5B2RE/#:~:text=It's%20a%20specific%20sequelae%20of,spike%20in%20venous%20back%2Dpressure.

How does positional asphyxia differ from traumatic asphyxia? Simply, traumatic asphyxia is a cardiovascular phenomenon resulting from a sudden dramatic increase in intrathoracic pressure from severe compression of the chest. Blood is forced back through the venous system causing significant facial edema and jugular venous distention (JVD). It will lead to cyanosis of the upper extremities, head, and neck with petechiae (microvessel rupture) often being present. This type of asphyxia is most commonly seen during motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), industrial accidents, and farming accidents where there is a significant force being applied to the chest and usually very quickly. Think of someone's chest hitting the steering wheel or a tractor landing on a person's chest.
Podcast #202 - The Dangers of Positional Asphyxia from Restraints

I was researching all of this earlier (the jugular distention) and came to the same conclusion about asphyxia. I think both positional or traumatic asphyxia could equally be the cause of death here. It would also explain the possible petechiae in the lips and around the eyes, as well as the foaming of the mouth (IMO).

I picture a scenario where the child wanted OUT of the bivy when he was having a panic attack, and the counselors forced him to stay in there for whatever reason. I imagine they accomplished this by placing the green tape over the zipper/alarm apparatus. And at some point during the night he asphyxiated while straining and trying to kick his way out of the bivy bag. I think full rigor set in long before they checked on him (it was almost certainly more than 1 hour and 45 minutes between their last check and when they found him deceased, as they claim) and that’s why he was found with his knees up in the air. As to how or why he was naked below the waist, I don’t have an answer for that one and it’s difficult to even consider the various possibilities.

This is all just speculation on my part, of course.

 

[ellabella]

I havent read many search warrants, can anyone tell me if this is standard wording? The use of "supply" is interest if it is not standard.

" Address and/or telephone books, realties indices and any papers reflecting names, addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers and/or telex numbers of possible co- conspirators, sources of supply, customers, financial institutions, and other individuals of business with whom a financial relationship exists;.

 

[Lilibet]

I havent read many search warrants, can anyone tell me if this is standard wording? The use of "supply" is interest if it is not standard.

" Address and/or telephone books, realties indices and any papers reflecting names, addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers and/or telex numbers of possible co- conspirators, sources of supply, customers, financial institutions, and other individuals of business with whom a financial relationship exists;.

I assume that since this is a business, “sources of supply” refers to vendors who supply them with food, paper products, etc. But I could be way off.

 

[ellabella]

I assume that since this is a business, “sources of supply” refers to vendors who supply them with food, paper products, etc. But I could be way off.

I presume it is likely this as well, but the wording did initially strike me as odd.

 

[ch_13]

I don't think this has been posted yet. A 2022 USA Today article about the wilderness therapy industry.

Wilderness therapy was supposed to help these ‘troubled teens.’ It traumatized them instead.

Parents often turn to wilderness therapy when they feel they need help for their troubled teens. But former campers say they were abused, traumatized.

www.usatoday.com

The deaths are striking:
Among the fatalities: In 1990, 16-year-old Kristen Chase died of heatstroke three days after arriving at her wilderness program. In 2000, 15-year-old William Edward Lee died from a head injury after being restrained by staff; 14-year-oldIan August died of hyperthermia at his wilderness therapy program two years later. The same year, Charles Moody, 17, died of asphyxiation after being restrained. In 2005, Anthony Haynes, 14, died while being punished at a wilderness boot camp. In 2007, Caleb Jensen, 15, died while at a wilderness camp, his body found bundled in a feces- and urine-soaked sleeping bag. In 2011, Daniel Huerta, 17, died while being driven by a staff member. In 2016, 19-year-old Lane Lesko died during an escape attempt at a hybrid wilderness-residential treatment center.

 

[Hoosgirl]

I don't think this has been posted yet. A 2022 USA Today article about the wilderness therapy industry.

Wilderness therapy was supposed to help these ‘troubled teens.’ It traumatized them instead.

Parents often turn to wilderness therapy when they feel they need help for their troubled teens. But former campers say they were abused, traumatized.

www.usatoday.com

The deaths are striking:
Among the fatalities: In 1990, 16-year-old Kristen Chase died of heatstroke three days after arriving at her wilderness program. In 2000, 15-year-old William Edward Lee died from a head injury after being restrained by staff; 14-year-oldIan August died of hyperthermia at his wilderness therapy program two years later. The same year, Charles Moody, 17, died of asphyxiation after being restrained. In 2005, Anthony Haynes, 14, died while being punished at a wilderness boot camp. In 2007, Caleb Jensen, 15, died while at a wilderness camp, his body found bundled in a feces- and urine-soaked sleeping bag. In 2011, Daniel Huerta, 17, died while being driven by a staff member. In 2016, 19-year-old Lane Lesko died during an escape attempt at a hybrid wilderness-residential treatment center.

It was posted earlier, but well worth posting again!

I've been doing a deep dive on this site linked in the article:

If programs pathologize some teen behaviors, parents are often frightened, leaving them to feel as if sending their kid away is their only option. This messaging may be underscored by consultants recommending the programs.

"Instead of saying to a parent, 'Your kid is starting to have sex, and I know that's scary, but here's what we can do to better support them.' They're saying, 'Oh my God, they're gonna end up as a prostitute. You better send them away so they don't end up pole dancing,'" says Meg Appelgate, co-founder and CEO of the prevention organization Unsilenced, who also holds a degree in psychology.

If you search Trails Carolina on that site, there is a huge collection of legal documents from lawsuits, survivor testimony, and more.

Very eye opening.

 

[borndem]

Speculation on my part is that possibly they didn't allow the children at the scene to be interviewed without parental consent.
Not fact, just guessing.

Hmmmm, @Rolypolyoly. That may very well how it was done. JMO.

 

[borndem]

Yes.
As they improved, their parents would visit and take them out with them for weekends.
It was dire straights until they left.
I'm a former teacher. I respect all of the patience, time, grace, trust, and let's face it-money the lengths their parents went to was all done with much discussion, deep thought, and consultation with professionals.
The greatest motivator was the unconditional love.

Thanks for the uplifting comments, @charminglane.
It sounds like every side of this situation was trying to do the right things -- hopeful, well-trained, willing to listen and do the right things, and all of them wanted to succeed -- and apparently they all did.

 

[Izzylizzy]

it can also be caused by asphyxia per this site https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/medical-equipment/airway-management/articles/asphyxia-by-any-other-name-is-just-as-deadly-gVNxRzrB0na5B2RE/#:~:text=It's%20a%20specific%20sequelae%20of,spike%20in%20venous%20back%2Dpressure.

How does positional asphyxia differ from traumatic asphyxia? Simply, traumatic asphyxia is a cardiovascular phenomenon resulting from a sudden dramatic increase in intrathoracic pressure from severe compression of the chest. Blood is forced back through the venous system causing significant facial edema and jugular venous distention (JVD). It will lead to cyanosis of the upper extremities, head, and neck with petechiae (microvessel rupture) often being present. This type of asphyxia is most commonly seen during motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), industrial accidents, and farming accidents where there is a significant force being applied to the chest and usually very quickly. Think of someone's chest hitting the steering wheel or a tractor landing on a person's chest.
Podcast #202 - The Dangers of Positional Asphyxia from Restraints

Yes, asphyxia could cause heart failure resulting in death and jugular distention .

"Jugular vein distention is the bulging of the major veins in your neck. It's a key symptom of heart failure and other heart and circulatory"

 

[Roselle65]

They can't have, since his knees were bent and he was in rigor.

IMO they maybe cut them off before LE got there.

So far, I don't think we can be certain they pulled him out of the bivy, because it's not clear if the staff witness was telling the truth.

Why would his pants and underwear need to be cut off? That's not the area of the body CPR is done on, and I never heard of clothing needing removed for that.

 

[RickshawFan]

Why would his pants and underwear need to be cut off? That's not the area of the body CPR is done on, and I never heard of clothing needing removed for that.

I said that primarily because when a human dies, there are often body fluids that leak. Also, we don't know if he was actually allowed to use the bathroom (staff controlled the lock to the bivy), nor whether a dire experience while inside the bivy upset his digestive tract, nor if someone, for instance, sat on him. IMO soiling was almost inevitable. I wonder if LE looked for the sleeping bag the child was actually in or searched trash cans for clues, perhaps discarded clothing.
Also, there's no reason why there should be a sheet of plastic on the floor (which evidently the bivy was on top of), unless there was potential for a mess, and they planned for it. There are too many layers to make sense to me: the bivy has a floor designed for the woods; then maybe a sleeping pad; then the sleeping bag. No need for a ground cloth, too.
Also, I doubt the child was actually given a sleeping pad in the bivy, for the simple reason it sounded like he was being aggressive or out of control, or at least they thought so.
I wonder if the pants and underwear left near him were his size? In that case, his would be missing entirely.
I don't trust that this whole scene wasn't staged. They had plenty of time to do just that. For starters, there's no way they're just waking the kids up at 8 as they say. Normal is prolly 5, 6 at latest. It would be clear at that point that the child hadn't emerged from wherever he was cocooned. In that case, they had 3 hours before they called 911.

Within moments of death, the muscles in the body relax, including sphincters that keep what's inside the body from leaking out.

That means, although it can be concerning for families attending the death bed, it's quite natural for some bodies to poop or pee.

What happens to your body after you die, in 13 steps

Body decomposition is a gruesome intricate process. Here's a step-by-step guide to what happens to your body, in 13 steps.

www.businessinsider.com

There is more good info in this article.

 

[acutename]

I wonder if any of the staff hired have some medical knowledge or preferably being at least a nurse. What can go wrong in the wilderness, severe allergic reactions with anaphylactic chock, snakebites and other things that needs immidiate care to save life and probably more things that I am not aware of.

If you look at the website for the program, you will find that there are lots of qualified staff (not sure who works over nights); the camp costs about $750/day for a minimum of 40+ days, with other charges and it has school lessons as well. Not sure about this program but the one described in the previously cited Vox article had the same "sleep on the floor in a bivy" initially and later two things happen- you can earn a bunk bed with good behavior but later on you do go out hiking and sleep outdoors with the plastic sheet (ground cover), sleeping bag and bivy, so sort of trial run for that set up.





trails nc camp - Google Search

Trails Carolina - Leading Wilderness Therapy For Teens and ...​

Trails Carolina
https://trailscarolina.com



Trails Carolina is a wilderness therapy program helping teens and adolescents ages 10-17 who struggle with mental health challenges. Learn more.

 

[acutename]

I would speculate that taking away a kid's pants could be a way to keep them from trying to run away.

bingo because just taking away shoes doesn't prevent running way

 

[acutename]

If you look at the website for the program, you will find that there are lots of qualified staff (not sure who works over nights); the camp costs about $750/day for a minimum of 40+ days, with other charges and it has school lessons as well. Not sure about this program but the one described in the previously cited Vox article had the same "sleep on the floor in a bivy" initially and later two things happen- you can earn a bunk bed with good behavior but later on you do go out hiking and sleep outdoors with the plastic sheet (ground cover), sleeping bag and bivy, so sort of trial run for that set up.





trails nc camp - Google Search







View attachment 483615

Trails Carolina - Leading Wilderness Therapy For Teens and ...​

View attachment 483616
Trails Carolina
https://trailscarolina.com



Trails Carolina is a wilderness therapy program helping teens and adolescents ages 10-17 who struggle with mental health challenges. Learn more.

I looked at this web site recently- had staff info, info for parents, info about programs, etc. like any public site, and now that I try to look at it again, it is password protected !

 

[LadyL]

TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, N.C. —
A multi-agency is underway after a 12-year-old boy died at a western North Carolina wilderness therapy camp.
Door plugs and missing bolts? The Boeing 737 Max 9 investigation explained

I can only assume the word 'investigation' was inadvertently left out of this story which posted today.
-------------------------------
*The Feb. 3, 2024 call between the dispatcher and field instructor lasted just a minute and a half, with the instructor hanging up before answering all of the dispatcher's questions.
[snip]
According to a statement from Trails Carolina, released Feb. 8, 2024, “Trails staff-initiated life-saving efforts and called EMS and the sheriff, and **our staff have fully cooperated with the local law enforcement’s investigation, voluntarily presenting themselves for interviews with law enforcement and other related public agencies. Any assertion to the contrary is false, reckless, and defamatory. ***No other students were involved in any way, and all students were moved immediately so as to minimize the impact on them. Our students have cooperated to the extent authorized by their parents.”
Transcript of 911 call in boy's death at wilderness camp released by sheriff's office

all MOO
* instructor hung up on 911 dispatcher despite being told to stay on the line. Why? Surely they know better, have they never watched tv or read a book involving a 911 call? Are they not trained in what to do if an emergency needs reported in the course of their job?

** per LE, that is patently untrue as there are still at least two staffers who were present that night in or near the bunkhouse who have not made themselves available and moreover have not been named to LE per LE's statement I posted yesterday.

*** They cannot make a determination that no other students were involved as we don't know what happened to CJH yet but we do know four other "students" were present with him in the bunkhouse where he died.

[bbm]

yep that bothers me - I wondered if his superior came along and told him to hang up or something
last thing I would do is hang up on 911 in an emergency - even if I was performing CPR, I think I would either hand the phone over to someone there or lay the phone down but not hang up or if I accidentally hung up, I would call right back JMO

 

[LadyL]

I wonder if his pants and underwear came off when he was pulled out of the bivy head first?

but his legs were knee up and in rigor when LE saw him

 

[Mack the Knife]

I looked at this web site recently- had staff info, info for parents, info about programs, etc. like any public site, and now that I try to look at it again, it is password protected !

Wow. The site was up just earlier today when I linked to the consulting physician’s staff page. I was a bit surprised that all the videos and whatnot were still public. I should have thought to archive it.

Edit: Looks like the videos are still public. The website has been pretty well archived as well.

 

[LadyL]

I imagine yes. But.... I am thinking that the camp was disbanded following the death of the camper. The kids then scattered all over the country.

If the "confidentiality theory" is correct, I imagine that the camp could find away to provide contact information (maybe contact parents for permission?) if they really wanted to.

They, however, might not "really want to" and investigators might not be able to force them to develop imagination and creativity short of getting a Court order.

Even getting a Court order might be problematic. Can subjects under any kind of investigation be force to provide creative administrative assistance to the investigators?

the camp said they did contact the parents and the parents did not give permission IMO

 

[cujenn81]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Trails Carolina's PR rep stumbled across our quotes and references to their videos and recommended they deny public access to them.

I've seen businesses and professionals take their sites offline during criminal investigations, but I can't recall ever seeing one suddenly password protected. Gotta find a way to keep on marketing our other three facilities while also putting a stop to those pesky and loud public opinions determined to paint our programs in a negative light, right? I know! We'll deny access to the general public by requiring a password. That way, we can grant access to the only people that actually matter -- our referring partners. Bingo, bango!

 

[Shamrock1]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Trails Carolina's PR rep stumbled across our quotes and references to their videos and recommended they deny public access to them.

I've seen businesses and professionals take their sites offline during criminal investigations, but I can't recall ever seeing one suddenly password protected. Gotta find a way to keep on marketing our other three facilities while also putting a stop to those pesky and loud public opinions determined to paint our programs in a negative light, right? I know! We'll deny access to the general public by requiring a password. That way, we can grant access to the only people that actually matter -- our referring partners. Bingo, bango!

It’s probably at the direction of their carrier. The program would have given notice to their carrier soon after the discovery of the death. Most carriers have quick-response pre-litigation protocols. Website/social media lockdown is not uncommon and not (necessarily) indicative of wrongdoing. JMO.