Screengrab from Trails Carolina/YouTube
A youth wilderness therapy camp in North Carolina is under investigation after a 12-year-old boy died under suspicious circumstances there less than 24 hours after he arrived.
The boy was discovered dead last week at Trails Carolina, according to the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office in a news release.
Details about the case were sparse, but sheriff’s officials said the boy had been taken on Friday, per the parents, by two men from New York to the camp. After intake, the boy was assigned to a cabin for lodging with other minors. Four adult staff members were also assigned to the cabin. At 8:10 a.m. on Saturday, a 911 call was made about the child not breathing. Fire rescue personnel and deputies were dispatched to the location.
According to camp staff, CPR had been tried, and a CPR mask was found at the scene. Rescue efforts were started and then stopped as the child appeared to be dead for some time, authorities said. Investigators arrived at the camp to process the scene and collect evidence. The boy was taken to a hospital for a preliminary examination by the medical examiner before his body was sent for an autopsy. A forensic pathologist told investigators the death appeared to “not be natural,” but the manner and cause are pending.
On Tuesday, investigators conducted search warrants at two separate locations at the Trails Carolina Camp in Lake Toxaway and a location in Pisgah Forest. The second location was because the camp had moved the other juvenile campers from the cabin where the incident occurred to that location, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said in the news release that Trails Carolina Camp has not completely cooperated with the investigation and noted that staff members assigned to the cabin where the incident occurred were placed on leave.
The sheriff’s office said a report from the medical examiner may not be available for several months.
Trails, billed as an “Adventure Wilderness Program For Students 10-17,” has been issued a “Statement of Deficiency” five times by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services dating to 2019. CBS affiliate WBTV reported a history of cases dating to 2010 for issues such as improper medication handling and administration.
“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,” one participant told the station in 2021. “But the problem was, you know, there are still safety measures in those sorts of environments. Not here.”
In a lengthy statement published on Thursday by local ABC affiliate WLOS, Trails Carolina refuted the sheriff’s office, saying they were “cooperating fully with investigators” and were informed that initial reports indicated the death was accidental, without explaining how the boy died.
A young person’s life was tragically lost on Feb. 3, 2024. Our priority since that day has been to acknowledge and respect the unfathomable impact on this family’s life and maintain the integrity of the investigation into the cause. The family and their son deserve nothing less than a thorough, professional, fact-based investigation by law enforcement, other government agencies, and our program. Speculation before the full results of these investigations are available is harmful, counterproductive, and irresponsible. Those spreading information that is not true or misleading will be publicly identified and held accountable, as we continue to communicate the facts and truth.
Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office press release distributed to the media on Feb. 7, 2024, does not present an accurate account of the facts nor the current state of the investigation, the statement added.
Here are the facts: 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,” the statement continued. “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.
Trails has not been made aware of any suspicious preliminary findings by the medical examiner. Conversations with detectives and public agency personnel, interviews with staff, and preliminary reports indicate that this was an accidental death.
Trails has conducted an internal investigation of this incident and the Trails facility has been investigated by outside professionals who are subject-matter experts. Both investigations have concluded that there is no evidence that Trails failed to properly supervise, no evidence that Trails caused harm, and no evidence that conditions at Trails were unsafe or unhealthy.
As with most deaths outside a medical facility, an autopsy is being performed by the North Carolina medical examiner and, while the final report has not yet been released, the preliminary findings do not suggest that there is any evidence of foul play.
We continue to work with CPS to make the best decisions regarding staff in the immediate term.
Speculation of any kind is inappropriate and disrespectful to the family. We ask that speculations cease and the family be allowed to grieve without further interference by those seeking to capitalize on a child’s death in order to advance an agenda.
A spokesperson for the therapy program provided a statement regarding the incident, “We are shattered by the tragic loss of a young life and our deepest sympathies are with the student’s family and loved ones. Our priority is to acknowledge and respect the unfathomable impact on their lives and maintain the integrity of the investigation into the cause. We are cooperating fully with investigators and have retained outside professionals to assist us in conducting our internal investigation.”
