All of the children at Trails Carolina, the North Carolina wilderness camp where a 12-year-old boy lost his life earlier this month, have now been removed.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services made the announcement Friday morning, according to ABC 13.
“It was determined that action needed to be taken to ensure the health and safety of the children,” the department said, in part. “While the investigation is ongoing and we cannot comment on specific details, it was determined that action needed to be taken to ensure the health and safety of the children.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a forensic pathologist said that the victim, who died the day after he arrived at Trails Carolina, “appeared to not be natural,” according to the Transylvania County Sheriff‘s Office.
The sheriff’s office added that officers were called to the scene Saturday morning at a little after 8 a.m. Camp staff and first responders also attempted CPR but “stopped as the child appeared to be deceased for some time.”
Investigators wrote that the victim had a panic attack around midnight, and counselors, who said they stood along the wall of the bunkhouse, “didn’t mention if they attempted to assist him.”
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The counselors said they checked on him at both 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. When they checked again at 7:45 a.m., he was deceased, cold to the touch and stiff.
When detectives arrived, the boy was on the floor of the bunkhouse. He was naked from the waist down, his pants and underwear on the floor by his shoulder. The counselors said they had no idea how that happened despite being in the room the entire night.
Investigators also said there was some bruising on the boy’s face and a mask nearby, used for CPR.
The boy’s body was sent to a state lab in Winston-Salem, but the sheriff’s office said a final report may not be ready for months.
CrimeOnline previously reported that the 12-year-old’s death is the second at the camp since it opened. A 17-year-old Atlanta boy, Alec Lansing, ran away from his group in November. He climbed a tree, fell out — breaking his hip — and died where he landed, in a creek. His body was found 12 days later.
Trails Carolina was cited for multiple deficiencies between 2010 and 2019, including improper medication handling and administration and secluding, isolation, and restraining campers. They were cited for failing to protect a participant from harm in Lansing’s death.
The organization was fined $12,000 but allowed to continue operating.
“The death at Trails Carolina is tragic and concerning. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the child who died, and commit to them that we are conducting a thorough investigation with our county partners and will take every appropriate step based on the outcome of our and other investigations,” Friday’s press statement continued.
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[Featured image: Trails Carolina]
