How Could You? Hall of Shame- Pee Dee Regional Center

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions. that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Florence, South Carolina, ward Fantasia Franklin “lived at the Pee Dee Regional Center in Florence for the last 12 years.

In December, she died and her death was ruled a homicide due to asphyxiation. Now, her mother is saying the staff at this facility has been negligent.

“Only thing I knew,” Velisa Chatman Ward said, “an incident occurred with my daughter. She stopped breathing. The end result was death.”

Ward said she’s had no complaints about the facility for most of the time her daughter was in its care. However, she started to notice red flags the last two years of Fantasia’s life.

“Started to get more phone calls, things that were going on at the facility,” Ward said. “There was an incident where they left her at the facility by herself when they went on a field trip. Someone failed to do a head count.”

In mid-December after an incident, Ward said her daughter was restrained in a Posey blanket. She believes someone either sat on Fantasia’s chest or applied pressure cutting off her air supply.a
“If the restraint process was done appropriately, then she would not have been injured and certainly would not have died,” attorney John Clark said. “But because the employees were grossly negligent, reckless, maybe even acting intentionally, there was no need to do that.”

But Ward still has questions.

“I want some answers,” she said. “I want to know who did it. I want them to pay for it.”

SLED is currently investigating the incident. There have been attempts to reach the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs for a comment, but so far there has been no response.”

Mother wants answers for child’s death at facility[Wis TV 6/25/14 by Meaghan Norman]

“The family of Fantasia Franklin, 21, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs over Franklin’s death at the Pee Dee Center in Florence in December of 2013.

The suit says Franklin died at the hands of employees at the center.

The family’s attorney John D. Clark said according to an incident report Franklin was being restrained in a Posey blanket.

He believes someone either sat on Franklin’s chest or applied pressure, cutting off her air supply. She lost consciousness and died five days later at McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Clark said Franklin died as a result of compressional asphyxia. He added the manner of death has been ruled homicide.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating Franklin’s death as well as the Florence County Coroner’s Office.

The civil lawsuit seeks actual damages for the pain Franklin suffered at the Pee Dee Center.

Officials with the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs say they’re cooperating fully with the State Law Enforcement Division, but it’s their policy not to comment on pending lawsuits.”

Wrongful death lawsuit filed in death of autistic Florence woman[Carolina live 6/27/14 by Tonya Brown]

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