How Could You? Hall of Shame- 15-Year-Old RTC Girl case-Child death

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.

From Austin, Texas,”child protective services is investigating the death of a 15-year-old girl at Hector Garza Residential Treatment Center in San Antonio.

The girl reportedly died by suicide on Sunday.[June 9, 2019] Hector Garza can house up to 139 children between the ages of 10 and 17 “who are experiencing emotional, behavioral, psychological, educational, and social problems,” according to its website.”

State officials would not say where the girl was from or how long she had been in foster care. The teenager is not from Bexar County, though 14 foster children from the area are currently living at Hector Garza Center, said Anais Biera Miracle, a spokeswoman for Family Tapestry, which has a contract to oversee foster care in the area.

“Family Tapestry Case Care Specialists are connecting with the Bexar County children currently placed at the center to ensure they are receiving therapeutic services,” she said.

On any given day, roughly 30,000 children are in Texas foster care, and deaths are rare.

The Department of Family and Protective Services investigates any death in foster care to determine whether abuse or neglect occurred, spokesman Patrick Crimmins said.

The facility is part of Pennsylvania-based Abraxas Youth & Family Services, which is a subsidiary of the GEO Group, a private company known for operating jails and immigration detention facilities.

“We take allegations of abuse or neglect very seriously and work closely with our referring agencies to ensure that we provide safe and appropriate services,” said Monica Hook, a vice president with GEO Group, in a statement.

Hector Garza Center has been cited 49 times for violating state standards over the past three years. The most recent citations are from March, when a staff member used excessive physical force while restraining a child and another was left behind in his room when other residents were taken to school, according to state licensing records.

The state’s foster care system has been under scrutiny for years and likely will be forced to make several court-ordered changes stemming from a 2011 class action lawsuit.

A federal judge in 2015 ruled the system unconstitutional, finding children “almost uniformly leave state custody more damaged than when they entered.””

State investigates death of 15-year-old foster girl at San Antonio treatment center

[San Antonio Express News 6/13/19 by Allie Morris]

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