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District Attorney Decides Not to File Charges in Death of 12-Year-Old at NC Wilderness Camp

Online Niel November 7, 2024

LAKE TOXAWAY, SC (FOX Carolina) – Prosecutors have reached a decision on whether or not to press charges in the death of a child at Trails Carolina Wilderness Camp in Transylvania County.

In February 2024, officials said the 12-year-old’s body was found in rigor mortis and “cold to the touch” after search warrants were executed at the camp. Officials noted in the warrant that he had a CPR mask covering his face and was wearing a hoodie and T-shirt, but no pants or underwear. They added that his pants and underwear were lying next to him.

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District Attorney Andrew Murray announced Nov. 6 that after a thorough review of all the evidence and facts surrounding the tragic death by suffocation, his office will not pursue charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Officials issued the following statement regarding the decision:

“This is an incredibly heartbreaking case and our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones at this deeply difficult time. Our office has carefully reviewed all available evidence, including autopsy reports, witness statements, voluntary interviews of four camp counselors who were in the cabin with the victim on the night of February 2, 2024, numerous crime scene photographs, personnel files, camp. logs and physical evidence seized. It is not disputed from the medical examiner’s report that the victim suffocated while occupying a personal bivy for his first night at camp. The investigation revealed that the victim’s death was the result of suffocation, which, while tragic, did not involve criminal intent or recklessness to warrant criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter under the law.

Trails Carolina event protocols required camp counselors to place new wilderness campers in a personal sleeping bivy equipped with a sleeping bag on their first night at camp. The bivy was zipped with an alarm mechanism that produced an audible alarm if the zip contacts were separated. The purpose of the alarm was to prevent a minor from running away during the night. Evidence showed that four adult camp counselors were stationed in the cabin with five minor campers on the night of the victim’s unfortunate death. Although four camp counselors reported hearing the victim squirm and sometimes uttering incoherent phrases in her sleeping bag, none of the counselors reported hearing anything like the words “I can’t breathe” or ” help”. Furthermore, the juveniles occupying the cabin were interviewed by Department of Social Services investigators several days after the victim’s untimely death, and their statements corroborate the camp counselor’s interviews that the victim was audibly and physically upset about having to sleep in the bivy.

None of the minors disclosed hearing words of distress. The investigation revealed that although the counselors understood that the victim was agitated and distressed at being asked to sleep in the bivy, they never perceived him to be suffering from any type of medical distress until they tried to wake him up in the early hours of the morning .

The law required us to meet a high bar when considering involuntary manslaughter charges. While we are deeply saddened by this tragedy, we must follow the law and make decisions based on the evidence and our legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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