The death of a 12-year-old boy at Trails Carolina, a wilderness therapy camp for troubled adolescents, has been officially ruled a homicide by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The boy, who was from New York and had been at the camp for less than 24 hours, was found unresponsive in his one-person tent on February 3rd.
According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was”probable complications of environmental heat exposure.” The report also indicated that the boy had no underlying medical conditions that could have contributed to his death.
Trails Carolina, which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has come under scrutiny following the incident. The camp has been criticized for its practices, including its use of isolation tents and lack of proper supervision.
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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has launched an investigation into the camp’s operations. The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been filed at this time.
The boy’s family has released a statement expressing their grief and calling for justice. They believe that their son’s death was preventable and that the camp’s negligence contributed to his demise.
Trails Carolina has offered its condolences to the family but maintains that the boy’s death was an isolated incident. The camp has also said that it is cooperating fully with the NCDHHS investigation.
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This tragic event has raised questions about the safety and effectiveness of wilderness therapy programs. While proponents argue that these programs can help troubled youth, critics say that they can be dangerous and even deadly.
The investigation into Trails Carolina is expected to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death and potentially lead to changes in the way wilderness therapy programs are regulated.
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