Logan Volpe - 2015

15-year-old Logan Volpe committed suicide at Concept House in Miami. According to his family the employees knew that there were a risk of suicide. Still under 24 hours after he was sent to the facility, he died.

Was it neglect or just bad craftmanship by the employees of the facility? The management fired the personal on the job of the day of the suicide to protect themself, but there is no sources that can tell whether the facility use people with training in the treatment field or they just hire people for a low salary.

A lawsuit was filed and it would at some point decide whether the facility did such a poor job that they will have to pay. But no money in the world can minimize the terrible loss, this family suffered.

May he find peace where he is now.

Sources:

• Parents sue over son’s hanging a day into his stay at center (The Miami Herald)
• Child Fatality Summary (The state of Florida)

Nicholas Grant - 2015

16-year-old Nicholas Grant died after a beating at a group home where he was sent to. The group home issued a statement where they claimed that they did only accepted non-violent offenders.

However that does not mean that they should have left the boys unsupervised. While a group home should not be a prison, it should not leave the children to live their entire day on their own. They are sent to a group home for a reason. They need guidance and they need close supervision, so they constant learn something. It seems that the group home run by Circle C Youth and Family Services did not live up to the tasks they were given. The state later inspected the group home and it was closed down after a number of violations were found.

Sadly this closure came too late to prevent the tragedy and loss for his family. May he find peace where he is now.

Sources:

• Carrick group home where youth beaten to eventual death only accepts nonviolent offenders, board member says (Trib Live)
• Boy, 16, beaten at Carrick group home dies; Teens charged with homicide (WPXI news)
• Group home shuts down after death of Pennsylvania teen (New Pittsburg Courier Online)

Del’Quan Seagers - 2015

15-year-old Del’Quan Seagers died while placed at the AMIkids Sand Hills. The circumstances remain a mystery and the management did little to help out in this matter.

In fact at the time of his death investigation was ongoing about possible cover-up of violent events conducted at this facility. There also seems to have been gang related rituals involving punching. The facility claimed that it was an asthma which caused his death but there seems to be more to it.

For his family who not only lost this young man but also his father, it was a tragedy. We can only hope that the circumstances surrounding his death one day will be fully explained but the state does not seem to care.

May he find peace where he is now.

Sources:

• Mom of teen who died at South Carolina juvenile camp demands justice (CBS News)
• Family says teen who died at wilderness camp for non-violent offenders was beaten to death (Sankofa Online)