Boy at NC wilderness camp suffered panic attack night before his death, warrants say
READ MORE
The death of a 12-year-old at Trails Carolina camp
A boy died in his cabin at a North Carolina wilderness camp and detectives say the circumstances are “suspicious.”
Expand All
The 12-year-old boy who died at a wilderness therapy camp in western North Carolina earlier this month reportedly experienced a panic attack the night he arrived and was found cold, stiff and frothing at the mouth the next morning, search warrants show.
While it’s unclear what caused the boy’s mouth to froth, that “could’ve indicated that he ingested some sort of poison,” according to an affidavit from a detective who obtained the search warrant.
When detectives with the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office attempted to interview other juveniles at Trails Carolina who were there when the boy died, the camp staff members refused to allow investigators to see or interview them, the search warrant documents say.
In a statement issued Monday night, Trails Carolina contended the search warrant contains “misleading statements.”
While saying it would not discuss some details “out of respect for the family and the investigation,” Trails Carolina disputed that it had tried to prevent children from speaking to investigators.
“Trails asked parents’ permission for any children involved to speak with law enforcement and state regulatory agencies, and we complied with each parent’s preference, as we are required to do,” the statement said. “Children were moved from the area to protect them from seeing what was happening, not to avoid investigators.”
What investigators were told
On Feb. 2, the 12-year-old boy was taken from his home state of New York to Trails Carolina, a camp in Lake Toxaway set up to provide therapy and wilderness adventures for troubled kids.
A camp counselor told investigators that the boy — identified only by the initials CJH — was “loud and irate when he first arrived at the camp” and refused to eat dinner that night, the search warrants say.
The counselor told investigators that the boy calmed down later that evening and ate some snacks provided by the camp.
The counselor explained that the boy was required to sleep on the floor inside a sleeping bag, which in turn was inside a small tent called a bivy bag. Around midnight, the counselor said, the boy began to experience a panic attack, according to the search warrant documents.
Two counselors stood along a wall while the boy was experiencing his panic attack, according to the documents. The counselor “did not mention if he or other counselors attempted to assist CJH with an easement during his anxiety attack,” the documents said.
Panic attacks can’t directly cause death, studies say, but they can cause heart problems in some people.
The counselor told investigators that the boy was checked at 12 am, 3 am and 6 am, and was found dead at 7:45 am.
When investigators arrived that morning, the boy’s body was stiff and “cold to the touch,” the search warrants said.
He was lying on his back “with his arms on his chest and his knees bent upwards toward the sky,” the documents said.
The investigators noted “possible” petechiae — spots of bleeding under the skin, which are considered signs of asphyxiation deaths — in the boy’s lips and eyes.
The boy had a CPR mask covering his face, the warrant said, and was not wearing any pants or underwear. His pants and underwear were lying next to his shoulder, the warrants said.
Blocking detectives? Or protecting kids?
Detectives tried to gain information from the other four juveniles who were in the cabin where the boy died, the search warrant said.
“Trails Carolina staff refused to allow us to speak with any juveniles on sight, as well as see them,” the search warrant said. “They also refused to give out any of the juveniles names or date of births, or any other information as well.”
Staff with the Transylvania County Department of Social Services tried to check on the welfare of the children who were in the cabin that night “and were met by the same refusal,” according to the warrants. When they tried to ascertain the whereabouts of the juveniles, “they refused to disclose the locations of them,” the warrant said.
In its statement, Trails Carolina said: “We are a mental health facility treating children with severe, complex mental health diagnoses. Not moving children from the area would have harmed their mental well-being.”
How the boy died has not yet been determined, authorities say. But the death appeared “suspicious,” according to a news release issued last week by the Transylvania County sheriff’s office. A forensic pathologist told investigators that the death did not appear to be natural, the sheriff’s office said.
Trails Carolina has disputed that characterization, contending “there is no evidence of criminal conduct or suspicious acts, based upon all knowledge available to us and information and statements from involved agencies.”
Four adults were assigned to the cabin where the boy’s body was found on Feb. 3, and all reportedly were placed on leave, the sheriff’s office said.
On Monday, the state Department of Health and Human Services ordered Trails Carolina to stop taking new admissions — and to put measures in place immediately to keep children safe.
Concerns about Trails Carolina have been voiced for years. In 2014, 17-year-old Alec Lansing died after running away from the program. DHHS, which regulates therapeutic programs, has cited the program with multiple deficiencies in recent years.
This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Boy at NC wilderness camp suffered panic attack night before his death, warrants say."
.JPG)
