A therapeutic wilderness camp in North Carolina has been instructed to halt its operations and evacuate campers following the death of a child on February 3rd.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued the order on Friday due to concerns about the safety and well-being of children at the Trails Carolina camp, situated around 50 miles southwest of Asheville.
Trails Carolina describes itself as a program designed to assist troubled children and teenagers through wilderness therapy. While the state has not revealed the identity of the deceased child or provided specific details about the death, the camp’s website was inaccessible as of Friday afternoon.
Parents have been notified of the situation, and campers have been temporarily placed under the care of the local department of social services.
“The death at Trails Carolina is tragic and concerning. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the child who died, and commit to them that we are conducting a thorough investigation with our county partners and will take every appropriate step based on the outcome of our and other investigations,” stated the North Carolina DHHS.
According to media reports and a search warrant, a 12-year-old boy was found deceased less than 24 hours after arriving at the camp. Investigators noted that he was cold and stiff, with his pants and underpants removed.
Camp staff reported that they were unaware of the circumstances leading to his death. An autopsy is expected to provide further insight into the incident in the coming weeks. Trails Carolina expressed devastation over the loss of the child in a statement released on February 6th.
This tragic incident follows another death at the camp in 2014, where a 17-year-old boy passed away after running away, falling from a tree, and becoming immobilized. His body was discovered 12 days later, making this recent death the second fatality at the camp in the past decade.
