Death of 12-year-old at North Carolina nature-based therapy program under investigation

LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in western North Carolina said they were investigating the death of a boy at a nature-based therapy program over the weekend.

The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the death of the juvenile from Trails Carolina in Lake Toxaway on Saturday, Sheriff Chuck Owenby said in an email Tuesday. The investigation was previously reported by WLOS-TV. Officials weren’t releasing further information since the investigation was ongoing, but expected to share more in the next few days, Owenby said.

Staff at Trails Carolina called 911 around 8 a.m. Saturday when a 12-year-old student who had enrolled the day before did not respond to attempts to wake him and emergency personnel could not resuscitate him, the program said in a statement. Trails Carolina is cooperating with investigators and has retained outside professionals to help conduct an internal investigation, the program said.

“We are shattered by the tragic loss of a young life and our deepest sympathies are with the student’s family and loved ones,” the program said in its statement. “Our priority is to acknowledge and respect the unfathomable impact on their lives and maintain the integrity of the investigation into the cause.”

Trails Carolina, which is located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Asheville, describes itself as a nature-based therapy program that helps 10- to 17-year-olds “work through behavioral or emotional difficulties, build trusting relationships with their family and peers, and achieve academic success.”