Brendon Ogonowski - 2005

18 year old Brendon Ogonowski died from a fatal fall from the roof of one of the dorms. What led him to enter the roof is not known.

However a recent police investigation has led many to believe that something was hidden at the campus which could explain his presence at the roof.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• OBITUARIES - Courier - News - Bridgewater, N.J. January 27, 2005
• Victims 2005-9 Fornits Wiki

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

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

Travis Parker - 2005

13 year old Travis Parker entered the Appalachian Wilderness Camp, which was a wilderness program functioning around 2005.

He never left it alive.

Several counselors restrained him for more than an hour and denied him his asthma inhaler. An autopsy determined the face-down restraint caused his death.

The case was so clear for the police that they asked that charges for murder was raised against the counselors Ryan Chapman, Paul Binford, Mathew Desing, Torbin Vining, Johnny Harris and Phillip Elliott.

For reasons unknown to us the court decided to dismiss the charges. Thanks to the court the circumstances surrounding his death will never be fully explained to his poor family.

They were basically denied justice for the loss they experienced and poor Travis Parker did not live to grow up.

May he rest in peace.



Sources:

• Victims 2005-9 Fornits Wiki
• Camp death leads to murder charges -- Boy died after being restrained by counselors By Craig Schneider, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 19, 2005
• Charges dismissed in boy's death at camp The Augusta Chronicle, June 12, 2007

Christening “Mikie” Garcia - 2005

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Texas wrote back in 2005 that forced restraint has been associated with at least 20 other deaths in Texas since 1990.

One of the kids who left this world prematurely was Christening “Mikie” Garcia, who died at an unknown date around December 2005.

Together with Lenny Ortega he was one of the two boys who died at Star Ranch, which were a working ranch where so-called at risk kids from the foster care system was placed.

As stated in an article republished on the webpage of project Nospank very few of these 20 deaths ended up in criminal charges against the staff, because the restraint itself is described as an effort to aid a troubled client.

So for the most part the death of kids like Garcia is quickly forgotten leaving so room for an analyze so conditions could be improved so much that the number of deaths as result of residential care could be lowered.

References:
Datasheet about Star Ranch from the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
Boy, 12, suffocated during restraint at Star Ranch, By Zeke MacCormack, Express-News Staff Writer, Express-News, December 8, 2005
Star Ranch resident’s death investigated, By Clint Schroeder, West Kerr Current

Kasey Ryan Warner - 2005

When 13 year old Kasey Ryan Warner downed in a bathtop with only 10 inches of water it was clear for all involved that it was time for guidelines so such a tragedy could not occur again.

For once the politicians did what you could expect from them. They did sit down and wrote a new set of guidelines. Kasey Warner should not have died in vain.

But an article published a year later reveals that the owner of the facility Kasey Warner died in - a certain Viaquest - did not take these new guidelines serious.

The state started to shut some of the group homes down much to the protest of the owner, but what would have been the alternative? Letting it pass and end up with another downed teenager?

References:
Victims 2005 - 2009 (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora Wiki)
State Cuts Deal To Close Group Homes (Coral and Opal blog, July 27, 2006)
State deal will close five group homes (THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, July 27, 2006)

Linda Harris - 2005

Today it has been 5 years since Linda Harris died at the Chad Youth Enhancement Center.

People have protested the standard used at youth centers when it comes to the use of restraints. Today we are talking 2010. Sadly this five year anniversary has not brought improvements when it comes to prevent youth from dying at result of manual restraints.

Is it fair to accept that it is an acceptable risk that minors being placed in residential treatment can die as result of their placement? Is it fair that you still can find facilities where the staff has not been trained in both how to avoid that a dispute ends up in a restraint?

Linda Harris died September 18, 2005.

We are standing here 5 years later and have the power to work on minimizing the use of residential treatment, which would also be minimizing the use of restraints which always will include the risk of having a child who ends up death.

References:

COME TO A MASS MARCH IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ON APRIL 26, 2008 TO PROTEST THE ABUSE OF YOUTH IN JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS!
Victim liste year 2005 - 2009 (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora Wiki)
More Details on Chad Youth Death, Nashville Scene, November 12, 2007 (Reprint from COALITION AGAINST INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD ABUSE)