Geoffrey Alan Vorhies - 1992

It was January 1992 when 13 year old Geoffrey Alan Vorhies realized that he had no options left in the environment he had been left in. No therapy to help him with his problems. There was only one way left in his mind: To end it all.

Little would it be known that his death would be the first of 3 cases so far where teenagers had hanged themselves in custody of this detention center of death.

So much potential was lost. A life spanning only 13 years is hardly a life at all.

A boy in his situation should have gotten help - not punishment. Sadly enough we are now standing here 20 years later and very little have changed.

It is not good enough. Nothing was learned from his death and a lesson in proper handling of boys in his situation should be the least we owe him.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• An eerie echo (Numerous articles about Echo Glen Children's Center)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)

Kelly Young - 1998

17 year old Kelly Young became upset after af telephone conversation with her grand mother. We don't know what led to her becoming upset, but we do know that the staff did choose to confront her instead of leading the other residents away until she would have calmed down.

The confrontation resulted in her death.

Afterwards a lot of regulations were put in place. However the numbers don't lie. There have been deaths as result of the use of restraints since.

There is no information concerning the reason for the placement of Kelly Young in such a facility. Would there have been options which could have kept her home and receive treatment from home?

The answers seem to remain unanswered.

May she rest in peace.


Sources:

• PART 5 -- KELLY YOUNG'S DEATH AND ITS AFTERMATH AT BRISBANE (The Brisbane Report, Nancy D. Feldman, J.D. for New Jersey Protection and Advocacy, Inc.)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)

Joshua Sharpe - 1999

When staffmembers at the Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center tried to restrain 17 year old Joshua Sharpe they believed that he held them for fools trying to play dead.

But he didn't play dead. He was dead.

As in so many cases the so-called caregivers attempt to restrain a child turned deadly.

He would never return home to his family. A full-blown tragedy for his parents had happened.

The decision whether to restrain a child should always be given the consideration that it could include the risk of taking the life of the child.

Research about the risks of restraints were however only starting to emerge. The odd thing is that even after 20 years of knowledge about restraints, children continue to die caused by the use of restraints.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Caregivers Say They Thought Restrained Teen Was 'playing Dead' (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - April 4, 2000)
• Hold Used To Restrain Teen Who Died Is Safe, Lawyer Says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Apr 12, 2000)

Garrett Rush Halsey - 2004

Just a few hours short of Christmas no less than six staff members from the Grafton School decided to try to restrain 13 year old Garrett Rush Halsey.

At the time of his death no legal consequence was given due to a local ruling in court.

However in 2008 almost 5 years later The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the ruling.

It was time for the family of young Mr. Halsey to gain some justice. If they did succeed we don't know but we hope that it would give them some peace.

A life should not end at age 13.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:
Local School Lawsuit Decision Overturned (by Ryan O'Connor, 3 ABC Winchester, December 9, 2008)

Casey Collier - 1993

A rather unknown restraint system called "the Illinois system" claimed the life of 17 year old Casey Collier. Nothing have been heard about this specific system before or after he died, which could indicate that it was invented for this incident as excuse and false documentation, so the six employee who held him down to the floor could justify what was basically murder.

We don't know for how he struggled realizing that he was about to die due to the fact that he could breathe as the employees were on the top of him.

Cleo Wallace Center/Devereux got their employees off based on this self-invented system. It is not fair for either Casey Collier or for the family he left behind. He should have been given some justice. It shouldn't been free to kill children like him.

May he rest in peace!

Source:

• The Truth About Prone Restraint
• Mother says negligence caused her son's death (By Jeffrey A. Roberts, Denver Post Staff Writer, June 10, 1994)