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

[Betty P]

I imagined it like using a lock with an alarm on the two zippers so they couldn't be pulled apart to unzip. Not sure if this was discussed earlier on.

Who would manufacture such a thing? I can't think of any legitimate purpose for a sleeping bag with external zip closures that lock, with an alarm? Torture, perhaps?

 

[Lusitana]

I can't even look at his picture. This poor kid must have been terrified.

 

[clorenc]

He was wearing a sweatshirt within a mummy bag within a bivy?? I can’t imagine how sweltering and humid that must have been.

I wonder if that’s what the thrashing was about . . . from trying to remove his clothing. From my understanding, people with ADHD can also experience sensory sensitivity/overload (his dad stated he often slept nude because clothing tags irritated him). The feeling of being constricted and hot could have been unbearable for him.

He might’ve been able to push his pants down using his feet, but I imagine it would be harder to pull a hoodie up over your head in such a confined space.

He ended up turned around the wrong way, and there wasn’t enough space or oxygen in the bottom of that coffin sack to breathe.

I am hoping that Clark lost consciousness very, very quickly.

 

[Dotta]

He ended up turned around the wrong way, and there wasn’t enough space or oxygen in the bottom of that coffin sack to breathe.

I am hoping that Clark lost consciousness very, very quickly.

Coffin

Exactly!

I would go MAD if put into this thing.

Being constricted and not able to breathe deeply is something I can't even contemplate.

Children have rights!

"What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child?​

In 1989 something incredible happened.

Against the backdrop of a changing world order world leaders came together and made a historic commitment to the world’s children.

They made a promise to every child to protect and fulfil their rights, by adopting an international legal framework

– the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Contained in this treaty is a profound idea:

that children are not just objects who belong to their parents
and for whom decisions are made,
or adults in training.

Rather,
they are human beings and individuals with their own rights.

The Convention says childhood is separate from adulthood,
and lasts until 18;

it is a special, protected time,
in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity.

The Convention went on to become the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives."



Convention on the Rights of the Child

 

[LoveyG]

Thanks! From your link:

“He states that at [10 p.m.], the decedent was restless and mumbling in his sleep. He states the decedent was talking and restless in his sleep around [11 p.m.] as well, so they took him out of [his] sleeping bag. He falls asleep and is awakened to go back into [the] sleeping arrangement. The counselor states that at midnight, the decedent was restless and mumbling in his sleep, which was accompanied by ‘thrashing about’ according to his counselor, however, there is no known Seizure history. He states that subsided and that was the last event.
+++++++++
Lots to read in the article. I see that the “panic attack” earlier reported now reads as restless, mumbling and thrashing.

WTH after the prior restlessness the counselor took him out of the sleeping bag which apparently helped the kid fall asleep. So counselor then wakes him to put him back in, causing another incident.

What is wrong with these people?

Y’all, the article is definitely worth reading as it contains a lot of information but be warned some of it could affect sensitive readers.
MOO

(snip and bold) “He states that at [10 p.m.], the decedent was restless and mumbling in his sleep. He states the decedent was talking and restless in his sleep around [11 p.m.] as well, so they took him out of [his] sleeping bag. He falls asleep and is awakened to go back into [the] sleeping arrangement. The counselor states that at midnight, the decedent was restless and mumbling in his sleep, which was accompanied by ‘thrashing about’ according to his counselor, however, there is no known Seizure history. He states that subsided and that was the last event.

IMO, he was "thrashing about" because he was being smothered.

 

[LoveyG]

The bruising on his leg makes me wonder if he was held down and suffocated?

My thoughts exactly,

 

[LoveyG]

How is something like this allowed in a civilised country
is really beyond me.

RIP to this abused boy.

This is all too much

I think you are too kind, calling this a civilized country.

 

[clorenc]

IMO, he was "thrashing about" because he was being smothered.

God, I hope not.

I’ve been imagining that the mummy bag’s foot box was so narrow, Clark was trying to gasp for air but only sucking fabric into his mouth. Suffocated by the bag itself.

 

[borndem]

Yes, the camp itself doesn't arrange or offer this service, although I'm sure they can conveniently point people in the right direction, but the parents arrange and hire the goons to kidnap their vulnerable children from their beds in the middle of the night.

Imagine willingly doing that to your child, imagine the poor child's horror at being subjected to that whilst they are begging you to help them, to make it stop, and you, their safe person, the ones who are supposed to protect them and keep them safe, you stand aside and let it happen.

Imagine the utter devastation of a child who already feels wrong, already feels like they are unlovable, knows they are different but have no idea how to make themselves right for you, and they can't because it's brain chemistry not willful bad behaviour, as they realise that you did this to them, that not only did you not love them enough to stop someone forcefully taking them away whilst they begged you to help them, but it was actually you who instigated it.

And Imagine what poor, lost Clark who only wanted to be loved and tried to hard to fit your expectations, felt as he took his last breath in that bivy, thinking nobody loved him, that he wasn't good enough for his own parents to want to keep him safe at home where he belonged.

I agree with @Betty P. Clark took his last breath with those feelings in his heart, his parents absolutely should feel it in theirs until their last.

JMO

Ab.so.lute.ly they should feel it, but I'm doubtful.
I do hope that the parents know or will know what happened to him that horrible night. He was there at Trails, alive, less than 24 hours. And the way that he was taken from his home had to be an absolute nightmare for him, as well.
I do wonder if the parents will put any pressure on the Camp/Camp's owners and/or affiliates , etc., for more info on what really happened that night.
I am thinking that they will not seek a suit or damages or whatever. They may just let it all go. Hoping they will do whatever can be done, but not sure that they would.
So glad that Clark is now finally at peace.

 

[Charlot123]

This makes me upset. If he had a growth hormone deficiency it could have affected him mentally as well. This child needed real medical physically & mentally. Not this place.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1096637418300480#:~:text=Growth%20hormone%20deficiency%20(GHD)%20can,and%20GH%2Dpeak%20levels%20rise.

100%. He could have had some genetic condition manifesting as behavioral issue, as they are now finding more frequently. This kid needed proper diagnosis and normal treatment.

 

[LoveyG]

I am not convinced that his suffocation was passive. Counselors forcibly keeping him in the bag? Someone holding his legs down if he was thrashing? Is there hazing at these camps?

 

[KMouse]

Alcohol, smoking, other substances eg aerosol or glue, gambling are all addictions

Video games, cell phones, food. Not that it matters but I would put my money on video games.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I am thinking that they will not seek a suit or damages or whatever. They may just let it all go

I think both authorities and his parents couldn't take action until the autopsy report was finalized.
Now we have to wait and see if anything happens.

I believe justice would require criminal charges, but maybe they are trying to build a case.

 

[SpicyFruit]

I have been thinking more about this topic-- how he ended up with his head at the bottom of the bivy, and hope the truth comes to light.

I have to think he must have moved himself into that position somehow; I can't even imagine they made him go in that way...

Granted they are still responsible for what happened, IMO, but hopefully there are witnesses and experts that can give clarity.

If they made him go in that way, that would definitely be a serious crime, IMO. I don't think it's been alleged, though.
All JMO.

Has there been anything that says he actually passed in the sleeping bag? Could someone have placed him in there after smothering him? These places force compliance, maybe they shoved him in there.

I am particularly concerned that they were bivying children who suffer from anxiety, as Clark did. How does it help in any way to take a child who already suffers from anxiety, and shove them into a coccoon from which there is no escape?

the burritos are more about making escape harder for the newbies. There was zero thereputic value. It was a convenient way to corral kids they knew were most likely to be runners, ergo they made it their policy that the first several nights campers were forced to sleep in this arrangement.

Can't allow more than $700 a day absconding in the night so we physically restrain them because - money

IMO this situation is to assert dominance. All these places seem to have the same process of earning basic human rights and reminding these kids they have none. If they want out, they have to submit, they have to realize there is no getting out, no one is coming for them, you have no rights, submit and you might be allowed to sleep on a cot.
all JMO

 

[Betty P]

Video games, cell phones, food. Not that it matters but I would put my money on video games.

True. His AR showed no other substances than his prescription medication. He was only 12.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

True. His AR showed no other substances than his prescription medication. He was only 12.

This will have to be considered speculation on my part because the memorial link no longer exists, but it is my recollection that Clark was 6 days shy of his 13th birthday.
They sent him to that place a week before his birthday

MOO.

 

[Howl]

“His medications were sequestered and reviewed independently by law enforcement, and the medical examiner. The only irregularity noted was the absence of 3 clonidine tablets. No medical administration records were identified for the decedent at the camp and it is unclear if he took any of the missing medication."

nih.gove: "Clonidine is an antihypertensive drug that lowers blood pressure and heart rate by relaxing the arteries and increasing the blood supply to the heart; it has the following FDA-approved indications: Hypertension, as mentioned above; pediatric use for hypertension is off-label."
A 12-year-old taking blood pressure medication? If he hadn't taken it, could that have contributed to a racing heart and a panicked feeling?
...and no record of which medications he had taken?

 

[LeahBee]

nih.gove: "Clonidine is an antihypertensive drug that lowers blood pressure and heart rate by relaxing the arteries and increasing the blood supply to the heart; it has the following FDA-approved indications: Hypertension, as mentioned above; pediatric use for hypertension is off-label."
A 12-year-old taking blood pressure medication? If he hadn't taken it, could that have contributed to a racing heart and a panicked feeling?
...and no record of which medications he had taken?

Clonidine has many uses including treatment for ADHD, tics, restless leg syndrome, etc.
Also can be used off label for anxiety and depression

Clonidine - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Clonidine is an antihypertensive medication that acts on alpha-adrenergic and imidazoline receptor agonists. Clonidine is an antihypertensive drug that lowers blood pressure and heart rate by relaxing the arteries and increasing the blood supply to the heart; it has other FDA-approved...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Peppery]

Clonidine is often prescribed off label as a sleep aid in children with ADHD and insomnia.

Effectiveness of Clonidine in Child and Adolescent Sleep Disorders

We aimed to investigate the improvement in sleep quantity and quality when clonidine was used in children and adolescents with insomnia. We also examined how sociodemographic characteristics such as age, sex, underlying psychological problems, and levels ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[whiterhino]

(snip and bold) “He states that at [10 p.m.], the decedent was restless and mumbling in his sleep. He states the decedent was talking and restless in his sleep around [11 p.m.] as well, so they took him out of [his] sleeping bag. He falls asleep and is awakened to go back into [the] sleeping arrangement. The counselor states that at midnight, the decedent was restless and mumbling in his sleep, which was accompanied by ‘thrashing about’ according to his counselor, however, there is no known Seizure history. He states that subsided and that was the last event.

IMO, he was "thrashing about" because he was being smothered.

Did anyone check to make sure Clark wasn't suffering from a fever? I agree with others, this was inhumane