Hunt County foster care center shuts down after 11-year-old boy's death
The Brief
A new report reveals staff at a now-closed treatment center for Texas foster children ignored a boy's cries for medical help.
The boy later died in the middle of a movie theater where seven staff members were present.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is now investigating the 11-year-old's death.
The report claims the foster care facility also had a history of problems, including fight clubs and sexual misconduct.
GREENVILLE, Texas - A Hunt County treatment center for foster children was shut down following the death of an 11-year-old boy. A new report reveals he died in a movie theater after his cries for help were ignored by staff members.
What we know
According to a report released by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services on Tuesday, the 11-year-old boy, who is referred to as O.R. died on Nov. 27.
Seven staff members from Thompson's Residential Treatment Center in Greenville had taken him and 19 other children to see a movie – Gladiator II.
The report says staff members told law enforcement officers "O.R. was fine most of the day… and walked into the movie on his own accord."
But when investigators reviewed video from inside the theater, they saw something completely different.
"O.R. was unsteady on his feet and not able to walk on his own. O.R. looked like he was about to pass out and they were dragging him along by his arm, and then O.R. falls to the ground as they pass the ticket counter. Staff then drag O.R. down the hallway a few feet before picking him back up and continue to force him forward to get him into the movie theater," the report says.
At the end of the movie, staff are seen laying him on the floor in the hall.
"O.R. was clearly unresponsive, and staff called 911 at 10:06 PM," the report says. "Finally, after three minutes, Staff 1 began to attempt CPR."
Interviews revealed O.R. had woken up that morning "screaming, and crying in pain, and complaining of a stomachache."
The report says he informed staff that evening that he did not want to go to the movie because he continued to feel "unwell and weak."
A preliminary autopsy found he had a bowel blockage.
What we know
Thompson's Residential Treatment Center was shut down a week after the boy's death.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that it found the Greenville foster care center posed an immediate threat to the health and safety of children.
The report released on Tuesday also revealed plenty of warning signs.
In 2011, the facility received 14 citations for allowing fight clubs.
"Some children were choked to the point of turning colors during the fights… Staff would 'referee the fights, make bets on who they thought would win, and sometimes fight the children,'" the report says.
There were also reports of sexual misconduct between children.
The staff member who was the supervisor on the movie trip had complaints of physical abuse while working at Thompson's Farmersville campus. That campus closed voluntarily in 2021.
In 2022, a treatment center named North Star opened with the same administrator as the Greenville campus. That center also closed in December.
What we don't know
It's not clear why the warning signs about the Greenville campus were seemingly ignored.
What they're saying
State Sen. Angela Paxton brought the concern up during a Senate finance committee hearing earlier this month.
"Tragically, in my district, there was an 11-year-old boy who passed away this past November while he was under the care of a licensed residential treatment center," she said.
Paxton asked what the state is doing to shut down bad facilities before a tragedy happens.
HHS Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer Jordan Dixon said the answer may be fewer regulations.
"This is going to sound a little counterintuitive, but we're undergoing a process of reviewing all of their regulations, rules, policy, guidance, etc. It is voluminous and I think our staff when they go in for surveys or annual inspections, we have so many rules they can only do half of the rules each year in terms of determining compliance," she said.
The Source
The information in this story comes from a newly released report from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and recordings from a Senate finance committee hearing earlier this month.
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