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A North Carolina boy likely died of suffocation in a tent at a wilderness therapy camp for troubled youth after staff failed to check on him, according to a state report released Tuesday.
Staff at Trails Carolina, located in Lake Toxaway on the western side of the state, told North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) workers that a 12-year-old boy who was found dead on Feb. 3 after being at the camp for less than a day likely suffocated in his tent, a Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction from the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation states.
One staff member answered “yes” when asked, “[D]o you think he suffocated?” the 88-page report states.
The boy was told to sleep in a bivy — or a small, single-person tent — inside a cabin at the camp. The bivy’s zipper apparently broke off, and staff used a zip-tie to enclose the tent instead, according to the report.
The state suspended admissions to the camp earlier this year, and children who were staying at the camp in February were removed. In March, NCDHHS officials notified the camp that the state planned to revoke its license because it was in violation of state health codes.
A former Trails Carolina employee who previously spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity said the camp’s website, which showed a photo of children fishing, is a “false advertisement.”
“These kids aren’t fishing because you’re afraid they are going to use the pole as a weapon and kill someone. You see kids riding in canoes, that’s false advertisement,” the former staff member alleged. “Those kids aren’t riding in canoes because they may go out on the lake and try to kill themselves. Those kids aren’t repelling or going on mountain hikes because you’re afraid they are going to push someone off the cliff.”
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
