Dogs, drones help find 7 kids who escaped from Raleigh psychiatric hospital
Seven juveniles escaped from Holly Hill Hospital for several hours Sunday night before police found them using drones and police dogs, police said.
The adolescents managed to leave the psychiatric hospital by “attacking a staff member to retrieve his keys,” CEO Leigh Holston wrote in a statement.
While staff members were “securing” other patients in the unit, the seven patients kicked their way through an exterior door and left.
The Raleigh Police Department and the teen’s guardians were notified immediately, Holston’s statement said, and police officers responded around 8 p.m. Sunday.
The Police Department, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. Highway Patrol and State Capitol Police Department surrounded the area, found all seven patients and returned them to Holly Hill, according to a Police Department news release.
Officers used canine units and surveillance drones to help search for the missing juveniles over three hours.
“These juveniles were not considered armed or dangerous, and there was no threat to the surrounding community during this incident,” the release stated.
Four Holly Hill staff members suffered minor injuries, Holston’s statement said.
Staff had followed “appropriate safety protocols” and elevated security measures after the event, it added.
Previous escapes last year
In March 2024, five teens, all boys, also escaped from the hospital, The News & Observer reported. They were reported found two days later.
In that case the parent of a 15-year-old patient told WRAL that police had said one of the boys had taken a badge to leave the hospital. The station reported three boys had run away from the hospital just days earlier.
All of those children were safely returned to the hospital.
Holly Hill Hospital opened in 2014 to provide psychiatric treatment to young patients, ages 5 to 17. It expanded in 2020, with plans for up to 71 beds, and now serves children and adults, according to its website.
In a statement, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Health Service Regulation said Monday it is aware of the incident on Sunday but can’t comment on possible or ongoing investigations.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 8:17 AM.