Tragic Negligence: Boy Suffocates in Wilderness Camp After Nightly Checks Fail
Lake Toxaway, North Carolina – A chilling report from the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation has shed light on the negligence surrounding the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy at wilderness therapy camp, Trails Carolina.
Suspected Suffocation and Responsibility
According to the report, the boy was found unresponsive inside a bivy, or single-person tent, on February 3, 2024. Staff members believe he suffocated, as the zipper on the bivy had apparently broken and been replaced with a zip-tie.
One staff member admitted to NCDHHS investigators that he felt responsible for the boy’s death, stating that he could have saved him by adjusting the tent’s position.
Insufficient Nightly Checks
Compounding the tragedy, staff were supposed to conduct nighttime checks on the campers at midnight, 3 a.m., and 6 a.m. Around 3 a.m. on the night in question, a staff member heard heavy breathing and mumbling from the boy’s bivy but failed to intervene. During his check at 6 a.m., he claimed to have heard breathing but not as heavily. It was later that morning that the boy was found unresponsive.
Camp’s Troubling Practices
The report also revealed that Trails Carolina made a practice of housing new campers in bivys with alarm zippers until they were deemed “safe enough” to sleep outside unconfined. However, the camp’s executive director was reportedly unaware of this practice.
Consternation and Anger
The boy’s death has sparked outrage and questions about the competence of staff at Trails Carolina. A former employee, speaking anonymously to LA News Center, blasted the camp’s website as a “false advertisement.”
“These kids aren’t engaging in activities like fishing or mountain hikes because of safety concerns,” the former staff member alleged. “The camp is worried that troubled youths might use them as weapons or harm themselves.”
Consequences and Investigations
Following the boy’s death, the state suspended admissions to the camp and removed existing children. NCDHHS has also initiated license revocation proceedings due to violations of state health codes. The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the incident.
The autopsy results for the 12-year-old boy are still pending, but the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation report points to a clear pattern of negligence and missed opportunities to prevent this tragedy. The investigation continues, casting a critical eye on wilderness therapy camps and their practices, particularly in the case of troubled and vulnerable youth.
Data sourced from: foxnews.com
