Christopher Ladell Hill - 2006

17 year old Chris Hill had certainly seen more in life than most children. All too much.

Various family members did their outmost to help him and his sibling when his mother passed away when he was only 4 years old. When his family gave up due to the economy, the State of Texas placed him in foster care. As life is for a child in foster care in almost every country it is constant movement between group homes and foster families. As some point he ended up at Azleway. 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. An article in Houston Chronicle states that it was suicide but none was there when it did happen, so can we be sure?

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)
• Desperate boys likely chose death on train tracks (Houston Chronicle)
• Chief Of Police Talked To Azleway Runaways Killed By Train (KLTV 7)

Gina Score - 1999

Gina Score committed minor crimes. She stole food and had a weight problem. Here in 2013 we are so enlightened that we know that she should have got some counseling. Maybe an in-patient treatment program would be the best but still counseling because it was not the actions of an evil criminal mastermind.

It was a girl basically reaching out for help.

But in 1999 the governor of South Dakota was William John "Bill" Janklow. He had his mind set to be tough on crime among youth hoping to scare them straight.

Gina Score was sent to the State Training School in Plankinton. It was a boot camp where the teenagers were forced to run in a very hot weather every day. July 21st, 1999 - only five days after she had arrived, Gina Score collapsed during the run. They believed that she was faking her situation, but it was for real.

She died there. Basically she was murdered there.

The boot camp shut down when everyone realized that the path promoted by the governor was no real answer to juvenile crime.

But it was too late for Gina Score.

She was only allowed 14 years on this planet.

May she find peace where she is now.


Sources:

• Former Plankinton Inmate Looks Back At Death (KELOLAND TV)
• Barnett on Gina Score: 'We killed her' (Madison Daily Leader)

Levi Snyder - 2010

For 17 year old Levi Snyder june 12, 2010 was the last day of his short life.

He was found dead at New Hope Carolinas treatment center.

He had complained about chest congestion and had been at the Hospital just days before.

An investigation was started but no official reason for his untimely tragic death was ever made public.

The treatment center has a long history of police being called to the facility and a number of indicents involving criminal sexual conduct, assault and battery, and missing persons.

17 year is too early to die.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Teenager found dead at Rock Hill psychiatric center (NUNYA)
• Victim list (Fornits Wiki)

Jason Tallman - 1993

Jason Tallman was only 12 years old when he was sent to Kid's Peace against the wishes of the family. He had hoped for a school where he could have continued to live at home.

He arrived at the facility May 11. May 12 he was death.

The cause of death was a failed restraint attempt. 85-pound boy ran out of air when two adult employees grabbed him and held him down on the floor.

Only one of the employees were prosecuted but no justice was found.

The system was not cut out for a small boy like Jason suffering from the illness he struggled with. The facility was his death sentence and the family could only watch and learn how their son was crushed.

Kidspace continued to be in operation claiming more lives.

May poor Jason find peace where he is now.


Sources:

• Jason’s Story (By Rick Tallman)
• The Tallman Story : Death and the High Cost of Kidspeace
• Victims - 1990s (Fornits Wiki)

Katherine Rice - 2008

Katherine Rice became only 16 years of age.

Somehow she got hold of methadone inside a treatment facility. What the methadone did at that place and how it entered the facility known as Kidspeace remains unanswered. Kidspeace is the totally wrong name for such a place.

Her death was the third death at this KidsPeace group home located in the North Whitehall Township.

Why wasn't the place investigated before? Why was there no change in the methods used at the facility?

Even the death of Rice did not end the methods used at the facility.

December 2011 there was an assault on an employee. May 2012 there was a fight at the facility.

The management seems useless caring about the patients.

It is not known that she did so she ended up there, but no crime can be so horrible that she should be exposed to neglect.

We can only hope that she has found peace where she is now.


Sources:

• Girl who OD'd at KidsPeace dies (The Morning Call)
• Teen who OD'd at KidsPeace dies (Topix.com)
• Woman allegedly choked another at KidsPeace in North Whitehall Township (Lehigh Valley)
• North Whitehall: Assault reported at Kids Peace (The Morning Call)
• Victims 2005-9 (Fornits Wiki)