Eric Roberts - 1996

When the staff used a rather unusual method to restraint 16 year old Eric Roberts they may not have foreseen that they soon would be out of job. They wrapped him in plastic and a foam blanket with Velcro and left him for an hour only to find him dead when they returned.

It was neglect and the state intervened. Odyssey Harbor - the treatment home where he died filed for chapter 11 and had to close.

But just because the authorities cleaned up after this tragedy, it doesn't change the fact that a family lost their son. A life of a boy ended too soon.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Facility to sell off its assets Closed children's home files for Chapter 11 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - June 20, 1996)
• Victims in the 1990s (Forntis Wiki)

David Sellers, Shawn Diaz and Ryan McCandless - 1990

Back in 1990 3 boys lost their lives in a downing accident on Convict Lake.

Brave rescue workers also lost their lives while trying to save the boys. It was an awful tragedy.

But not only did 3 families lose their children. They faced problems providing the money to have the children buried.

The investigation after this tragedy did show so many shortcomings in the operation of the facility that the owner was banned from running a facility in California but some years later there were some incidents in another state and soon everyone discovered that the very owner was in business again.

3 young lives were cut short that day. In was just plain unfair.

May they rest in piece.

Sources:

• FAMILIES OF LAKE VICTIMS NEED HELP ... (Newsbank)
• Victims 1990s

Kristal Mayon-Ceniceros - 1999

"It does not appear to have been an unsafe method of restraining her"

It was the understatement of the year in 1999.

The 16 year old Kristal Mayon-Ceniceros returned from lunch at the New Alternatives residential care facility. She found someone at her work desk and became upset. The staff tried to calm her down and decided to restrain her. It led to her death.

We don't know why she was sent there for treatment but for some persons suffering from mental illnesses like autism everything must be in place. Small changes can upset them. They have to be given tool to deal with changes and while they are learning these tools only minor chances must take place.

Something went wrong with her treatment plan. And as descriped above the restraint method turned out to be a killer.

She was basically failed two times. May she rest in peace.


Sources:

• Girl, 16, Dies at Psychiatric Hospital (Los Angeles Times, February 7, 1999)
• Kristal Mayon- Ceniceros (Find a grave)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)

Paul Choy - 1992 (2017)

Paul Choy met his death in remote wilderness camp, where many felt he shouldn't have been in the first place.

Rite of passage was a tough camp. It is difficult to say what the plan was with this camp. In what way was the youth supposed to make benefit of their stay? It cannot be answered because there doesn't seem to be any plan.

The staff say that he became violent and they tried to restrain him and killed him in the process following the procedures known at that time. Others simply claimed that he was depressed.

He ceased to have a life outthere back in 1992. While his body stopped to work in 2017, he life as a functional living being stopped in 1992. He didn't get a chance to turn his life around.

May he rest in peace.

Source:

• Hard Work For Youths At Camp (By Rick DelVecchio and Ken Hoover, Chronicle Staff Writers, San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 1992)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)
• DEADLY RESTRAINT (By Jordan Riak, December 1999; Revised/updated April 2006)
• California Problem Kids Get Few Luxuries in Desert (By Rick DelVecchio and Ken Hoover, San Francisco Chronicle) - From COALITION AGAINST INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD ABUSE

Edith Campos - 1998

For some odd reason the treatment facility named Desert Hills had a rule which forbid residents to have photos of their family. 15 year old Edith Campos missed her family which must be considered rather naturally and when the staff removed her photo she protested.

The staff did choose to restrain her and in the process she died.

It was a senseless death and a pure tragedy for her family.

Hopefully we will never see at facility with rules aimed to built walls between a child in treatment and his or hers family.

May she rest in peace:

Source

• Court suggests removing youths at Desert Hills (By Rhonda Bodfield, The Arizona Daily Star, March 7, 1998)
• 3 agencies rule today on Desert Hills youth shifts (By Rhonda Bodfield, The Arizona Daily Star, March 6, 1998)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)