12-Year-Old Boy's Death at North Carolina Wilderness Camp Ruled as Homicide, Autopsy Discloses

12-year-old boy death North Carolina wilderness camp homicide autopsy

By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald Jun 25, 05:20 am

Photo: (Photo : ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images )

The passing of a 12-year-old boy at a North Carolina wilderness camp for troubled teens has been deemed a homicide, as declared in an autopsy report issued Monday.

12-Year-Old Boy Dies Less Than a Day After Arriving at North Carolina Wilderness Camp

The boy died in February, less than 24 hours after arriving at Trails Carolina, a for-profit program that has since had its operating license renounced.

Trails Carolina recommended that the passing was unexpected, noting that staff conducted CPR after finding the boy not responsive the morning after his arrival. He had been inside a bivy, a one-person tent equipped with an alarm.

The camp has not commented on the medical examiner's findings, which determined the cause of passing as "asphyxia due to smothering," leading from the covering of his nose and mouth with non-breathable material.

The camp stated that it typically placed children in bivvies overnight for safety upon their arrival. The autopsy report mentioned that the inner mesh panel of the boy's bivy was torn, leading counselors to seal the outer, weather-resistant door panel instead, contrary to camp protocol.

The report from the state chief medical examiner's office noted that bivvies usually come with warnings against fully enclosing the weather-resistant outer layer as it can cause condensation and restrict breathing.

Authorities have determined the boy only by his initials, CJH. A family representative said the family had no comment.

No charges have been filed. The Transylvania County Sheriff's Office, which is handling a criminal inspection into the boy's passing, declared it is reviewing the autopsy report and will talk about it with the local district attorney.

Autopsy Reveals 12-Year-Old Boy's Death as Homicide

The autopsy report found no signs of trauma or sexual assault. Although the boy was found without pants, his father elucidated that his son often slept that way.

There was no proof of a drug overdose or any natural causes that could elicit his passing, according to the report.

The asphyxia result was a "diagnosis of exclusion," meaning all other plausible causes of passing were ruled out. The report signified the boy had been placed in a compromised sleeping position by others and was not able to detach himself.

Additionally, counselors could not check on him due to the bivy's opaque outer panel, which prevented them from detecting any issues and assisting him before it was too late.

"With these factors combined, the death is best classified as a homicide," the report ended.

Before its license revocation, Trails Carolina, situated in Lake Toxaway, served children with behavioral concerns and situations such as ADHD, autism, and PTSD.

The medical examiner's report accompanying the autopsy findings noted that the boy had ADHD, anxiety, migraines, and social difficulties, including trouble making friends.

His parents had arranged for two strangers to escort him from his home in New York to Trails Carolina, a practice common in the troubled youth industry. On the night of his death, the boy was "restless and mumbling in his sleep," according to the medical examiner's report.

Counselors took him out of his bivy at one point, and he fell asleep, but they woke him to place him back inside. In the morning, they found him cold to the touch with his head at the foot of the bivy.