The death of a 12-year-old boy at a controversial for-profit North Carolina camp for troubled children has been ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy report released Monday.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, officers were called to the Trails Carolina wilderness camp in Lake Toxaway on February 3, a little after 8 a.m., after staff found the victim, Clark Harman, unresponsive. By the time staff discovered him, he was already in rigor mortis.
Clark arrived at the camp a day earlier, after being transported by escorts, reportedly hired by his parents, from his residence in New York.
According to the report, he had been “smothered” and passed away from asphyxiation. He also had “brain swelling” and “mild injuries” on his legs.
The report also indicated that he was found inside a bivy with an alarm, which is typically larger than a sleeping bag, but a smaller and lighter alternative to a tent.
“Based on multiple accounts and investigation, the decedent was placed to sleep in the bivy without incident,” the report stated. “Sometime around 2300 he was noted to be moving around and making noise in the bivy and counselors removed him at that time. He relaxed and fell to sleep outside the bivy a short time later.”
“Due to protocol, he was made to wake up and re-enter the bivy at which time he was again secured with the alarm device. A counselor did note he was moving around again about 1-2 hours after the initial incident but stopped moving shortly after. Routine checks were performed throughout the night, but due to the outer, opaque layer of the bivy being closed, he could not be visualized.
“In the morning, the counselors attempted to wake him up but noted he was not moving. Upon opening the bivy, he was found to be turned around 180 degrees from the entrance, with his head at the enclosed end of the bivy and his feet near the opening.
“He was also noted to not be wearing pants, which was a common practice for him at home. Resuscitation was attempted by camp personnel while emergency medical providers were summoned. After emergency medical personnel arrived, it was determined that he was already beyond life saving measures due to rigor mortis being present, indicating he had likely been dead for several hours.”
Harman Autopsy Report, Trai… by Leigh Egan
Trails Carolina claimed that the death was accidental. The camp said staff members performed CPR on the victim after finding him unresponsive.
The camp indicated that it placed children in bivvies overnight for their safety when they first arrived. The report, however, revealed that the inner mesh panel of the child’s bivy was torn.
Instead of following the camp’s policy, which required the inner mesh to remain unsealed for visibility, counselors sealed the outer door panel, violating the standard procedure.
“I didn’t check as thoroughly as I should have,” the staffer assigned to do night checks told investigators, according to a state Department of Health and Human Services report. “My actions that night was to perform night checks … that was my responsibility, which I failed on. … I do feel like the bivy (tent) had a lot to do with it.”
Investigators asked what the staffer could have done differently that night. “I could have opened [the tent] up, repositioned him,” said the staffer, who replied “yes” when asked if they thought the boy suffocated.
The camp has since had its license revoked.
So far, no charges have been announced in the case. According to NBC News, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation and will review the autopsy “with the local district attorney.”
Check back for updates.
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[Featured image: Trails Carolina]
