Sheriff: Camp not fully cooperating after apparent ‘suspicious’ death of 12-year-old
By Brittany Whitehead
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TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Transylvania County Sheriff Chuck Owenby released more details Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the death of a juvenile at a camp in Western North Carolina over the weekend, including that the camp where the death took place has not been fully cooperative in the investigation.
“Trails Carolina Camp has not completely cooperated with the investigation,” the sheriff’s office said Wednesday in a statement.
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, in a statement, the camp said, “We are cooperating fully with investigators and have retained outside professionals to assist us in conducting our internal investigation.”
According to officials, a 12-year-old boy was transported per his parents from New York to Trails Carolina Camp in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, by two men on Friday, Feb. 2. Trails Carolina Camp is licensed as a therapeutic camp by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The 12-year-old was assigned to a cabin for lodging with other minors and four adult staff members.
The sheriff’s office said at 8:10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, a call was made to the 911 center in reference to a 12-year-old boy not breathing. According to camp staff, rescue efforts were made, and upon arrival to the scene, emergency first responders also initiated rescue efforts but stopped, as “the child appeared to be deceased for some time.”
The child was sent to Winston-Salem for an autopsy because his death “appeared suspicious since he had arrived at the camp less than 24 hours prior to his death,” the sheriff’s office said.
The forensic pathologist conducting the autopsy told investigators the 12-year-old’s death appeared to not be natural, but the manner and cause of death are still pending.
Investigators applied for and were granted two search warrants on Tuesday, Feb. 6, for two separate locations of Trails Carolina Camp, which were both served and executed. One location was the base camp on 500 Winding Gap Road in Lake Toxaway, where the incident itself took place. The other was at 618 Sundance Lake Road in Pisgah Forest because the camp counselors had moved the other juvenile campers from the cabin where the 12-year-old was found unresponsive to the Pisgah Forest location.
Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the staff members who were assigned to the cabin where the incident took place were placed on leave, according to the Trails Carolina Camp.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials said the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s report may not be available for several months.
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