James White - 2005

Two teenagers died at Summit Quest Academy before the facility closed its doors in 2009.

James White died there late 2005. The Coroner ruled that he died from natural causes as result of an enlarged heart which were the standard excuse when minors died in custody before the media investigated the autopsy report in Martin Anderson case.

But none have stepped up demanding a new investigation in the James White case even taken into consideration that only a few months went by before Giovanni Joey Aletriz there.

James White lived for only 17 year. All there is known today is that he came from Philadelphia. This death was kept quiet. It is not known if he left family behind who must have felt failed by the system.

It is sad when deaths in facilities are given so little attention because lives can be saved if they are properly investigated so better precautions could be taken the next time the same situation would arise.

Sources:

• Victim list 2005-9 (Fornits Wiki)
• Summit Quest Academy (Fornits Wiki)
• 2 deaths in 2 months a thread on the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora

Earl Smith - 1995

The prosecution knew that all air was pushed out of this 9 year old boy, but their trouble were that the only witnesses were troubled children none would believe in court.

The result was that the gross negligence a staff member inflicted on Earl Smith resulted in a 18-month suspended sentence and 100 hours of community service.

That is not fair to either the relatives of the boy and of course Earl Smith himself.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Day Four: People Die And Nothing Is Done (The Hartford Courant on October 14, 1998 - from the Charly D. Miller website)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)

Willie Durden - 2005

When "gurgling" sound came from the 17 year old Willie Durden's cell, the guards believed that he making fun of them.

But it wasn't a prank and how they dared to gamble remains a mystery.

What also was a mystery was the cause of death. The autopsy report took long to make and it did show that he died from enlarged heart. The report did puzzle the lawmakers and in another case also from Florida the public learned that autopsy reports sometime are altered to make the state look better. In the case of Willie Durden there was no video showing his last minutes which could prove the autopsy report wrong, so we have to settle for the state's version of what went wrong.

As for consequences against the guards for delaying the CPR it is difficult to determine if his death had consequence for them at all.

It is a sad story.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Victims 2005-9 Fornits Wiki
• Jail Guards Delayed CPR on Limp Teen The Associated Press, August 22, 2006
• Teen's late autopsy file puzzles some lawmakers The Florida Times-Union, March 17, 2006

Harry Tyrone Rutledge - 2006

For reasons unknown to us 15 year old Harry Rutledge ended up at Azleway Boys' Ranch.

The ranch markets itself with:

• A rural setting
• An on-campus school
• Structured homework time
• Family style outings
• Structured therapeutic recreation
• Boys Scout Troop
• Basketball goals
• Tennis courts
• Covered pavilion
• Recreation Center
• Athletic fields
• Sunday morning worship
• Wednesday evening chapel

It certainly sounds nice, but for the boy and one of his friends the distance and isolation from their family and friends - their entire social network became too much.

They were killed when they were hit by a train. Was it a suicide or an escape attempt going wrong?

We cannot know.

What we do know are that it was a tragedy for their family and a reminder to us to do everything possible to avoid residential care.

May they rest in peace.

Sources:

• Victims 2005-9 (Fornits Wiki)
• Chief Of Police Talked To Azleway Runaways Killed By Train (KLTV 7)

Jonathan Avila - 1994

We will not know what young Mr. Avila told his parents when they left him at the Rocky Mountain Academy in 1994, but it not difficult to understand that his parents would remember his final sentence forever.

Did he tell her that he loved them or did he threaten to do himself in?

Will they forever blame themselves why they didn't see the signals of a possible suicide attempt coming up.

When people walk the campus today they can still see the marks of the rope he used to hang himself from if they know where to look. It is left as part memory off but also warning against the consequences of being left there.

We do not know the circumstances that brought young Mr. Avila to the facility, but we do know that they were not suited to handle teenagers with emotional problems so huge that they could end up with suicide attempts.

Maybe the facility oversold themselves or the family pushed too their son too far when they forced him to participate in a program they could not in anyway fully understand what would include.

This tragedy should be a lesson to parents. You are not in control when you leave your child at the mercy of professionals in any program. Maybe they will succeed, maybe they will not. In this case they did not and it did cost young Mr. Avila his life.

Yet another young man did not reach adulthood and to live his life as he would have hopes for.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:
BOY HANGS HIMSELF IN DORMITORY, The Spokesman-Review - July 19, 1994
Victims in the 1990s, Fornits Wiki