Emily Pike - 2025

What exactly happened after 14-year-old Emily Pike left the group home, she had been forced to live in on January 27 - 2025, remains unclear but the tragic fact is that she was found death on February 14 the same year. Some had claimed her life in a grusome manner. While he hope that the authorities can locate the individuals responsible for taking her life, we also hope that the authorities look into the conditions of such group homes. Why were there 30 cases of teenagers running from this specific group home? What are the qualifications of the employees? Which living conditions have been offered to the teenagers?

It is beyond imagination that such a young life should be lost. We can only think of the terrible impact, her death had on her family.

We hope that she can find peace, where she is now and we must all pray that something will be done seeking to stop this endless flow of teenagers on the run. Their lives can be put in danger!

Sources

• Emily Pike case: March scheduled to raise awareness of missing indigenous people (Fox 10 Phoenix)
• Emily Pike's family hoping for justice, group home employee responds (ABC 15 Arizona)
• Authorities investigate another murder where Emily Pike’s remains were found (Arizona's Family)

Robby Lynn Peay - 1982-83

Normally we publish an article on the day of the year where the victim of the troubled teen industry died, but in this case it is not possible.

Fact is that the exact time of death is not known for Robby Lynn Peay, who so tragic lost his life as result of a gun shot while being on the run from a facility located in Salt Lake City in Utah, United States. While the name of the facility right now remains unknown, it is important to remember that runaways live in danger. He was not the last to die while on the run.

We cannot imagine the level of torment, his family must have been enduring not knowning if he was alive or not.

We can hope that the police will look into the case with renewed force as it is very clear that a murder is free and this person can pose a risk to everyone in the society. It is too easy to write people off just because they are on the run from horrible conditions as they have been known to be in various facilities all over the state of Utah. A number of them have been close but all too often, the price has been a life of a teenager.

We hope that his familiy finally can get a level of peace know where they know what became of this young man, who so tragic got his life cut short.

May he also find peace where he is now

Sources:

• Body of Provo boy missing nearly 43 years confirmed to be 'John Doe' buried in Moab (KSL news)
• Robby Lynn Peay (The Charley Project)
• Body of Missing Utah Teen Robby Lynn Peay Identified After 42 Years (Yahoo News)

Astrid Valdivia - 2011

Astrid Valdivia life was short. Only 13 years she was allowed. She was placed at Utah Youth Village but while she could be been watched, the facility failed her and she ran away with a man. The authorities tried to get her but the man was armed and during a shoot-out with the police a bullet struck the poor girl

Her family expected more from the facility and rightfully they should have gotten more but all too often economy matters more than the security of the children in such facilities.

Her death was so unnecessary and she will be missed by family and friends

Sources:

• South Salt Lake police seek missing teen last seen at foster home (Deseret News)
• Family of 13-year-old killed in shootout files wrongful death lawsuit (Deseret News)
• Family of slain teen files wrongful death lawsuit against state (KSL News)

Taylor Goodridge - 2022

History so cruel repeated itself when 17-year-old Taylor Goodridge died while attending Diamond Ranch Academy. She had complaimed about her health in the weeks before her death.

This was the third known death during the years the school has been in operation. In 2013 a marketing event was interrupted because a student decided to hang himself in the showers. The rescue could only start when the potential customers had been removed from the area and rescue came too late. In 2009 a student also arrived at the hospital too late. None ever have stepped forward so the world could learn whether the boy had complained about his health as Taylor Goodridge very clearly did. Anyhow it was too late for both.

The family of Taylor Goodridge properly believed that their daughter was safe at the facility which is a huge business in that part of Utah where jobs are needed and the authorities have to weight the security of the patients against number of jobs.

Fact is that they were failed by the facility. Will a death again just be noted without consequences for Diamond Ranch Academy? They got off easy the other times.

Regardless of the legal outcome, fact is that a family suffered the loss of a loved one. We can only offer our prayers.

May she rest in peace where she is now

Sources

• ACADEMY SUED Horror details after Taylor Goodridge, 17, dies at boarding school when ‘officials ignored her crippling pain’ (The Sun)
• Diamond Ranch Academy sued, put on probation after 17-year-old resident dies (Reddit Troubled teens)
• Teen facility in Washington County put on probation after resident dies (Deseret News)

Raiden Toms-Moonin - 2022

Raiden Toms-Moonin only managed to be on this planet for 15 years. Due to her placement at Oak Plains Academy which seemed to a facility with little oversight and monitoring of the patients, tragedy struck when some girls stumpled upon dangerous medication left without the proper security you should expect of such a facility.

Her life was already in danger when she entered the faciltiy and her family was promised security. Security they never got.

The authorities are now looking in to how the facilty was managed. A little too late to save a girl aged only 15 years.

We can only pray for a family who believed they took the very best step to secure the life of their daughter and was so tragically failed.

May she rest in peace

Sources

• Mother of teen who died in the care of Oak Plains Academy speaks out (News Channel 5)
• Authorities execute search warrant at Clarksville treatment facility (WSMV News)
• SCHOOL CHAOS Ten middle schoolers overdose only a day after 2 girls died when they took medicine stolen from school nurse’s office (The Sun)