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What was the cause of death of the 12-year-old boy at the Troubled Teen Wilderness Camp?

What was the cause of death of the 12-year-old boy at the Troubled Teen Wilderness Camp?

North Carolina authorities have released harrowing details they believe led to the death of a 12-year-old boy who was taken to a treatment camp for “troubled youth” in Lake Toxaway in Transylvania County the day before.

The child, whose name PEOPLE is not releasing, was “suffocated” and died of asphyxiation on February 3. His death was ruled a homicide by the Transylvania County Coroner’s Office.

On the morning of February 3, he was found unconscious by counselors at Trails Carolina, a self-described “adventure therapy program” that works with teenagers with behavioral problems.

The report, obtained by PEOPLE, describes the circumstances of the death and offers explanations for what the medical examiner believes caused the child to die of suffocation. The sheriff’s office and Trails Carolina did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for information, and the camp has previously denied responsibility.

On the night of his arrival at the camp, the boy was taken to a bivouac – a small camping tent containing a sleeping bag – “without incident,” the report said, citing investigators and witness statements.

In the camp, the bivouacs are set up on plastic tarpaulins, which are then folded up at the sides like a “canoe,” the report says. Camp protocol requires that the opening of the bivouac be covered with an “alarm device” to alert the caregivers if the resident attempts to leave the bivouac.

A stock photo of a standard bivouac tent.

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Because the inner netting of the boy’s bivouac had torn, the camp used the “weatherproof door” on the outside of the bivouac to secure the boy inside, the report said. The alarm system was installed on that door.

While the boy was inside, he moved and made noises, prompting the caregivers to take him out. Once he was out of the bivouac, he relaxed and fell asleep, investigators learned. However, he was eventually brought back to the bivouac, and once again noticed that the boy was in the house until about 1 a.m., the report said.

Although there were routine checks during the night, the carers were unable to see the child due to the opaque outer layer of the bivouac, the report states.

When the carers failed to wake him in the morning, they allegedly opened the bivouac and found the boy with his head in the “closed” corner of the bivouac and his feet at the opening of the weatherproof door.

The campgrounds of Trails Carolina.

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The coroner found that the alarm attached to the opening of the bivouac and the plastic sheeting surrounding the bivouac were factors that led to “respiratory obstruction” in the child.

The child was found only half-clothed, which suggests that he or she may have suffered from hyperthermia, as the design of the sleeping area may have led to a higher temperature, the examiner states.

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Bivouacs typically come with a product warning that the external weatherproof opening should not be completely covered as this could lead to “condensation and obstruction of breathing,” the government report said.

Immediately after the child’s death, the camp issued a statement saying it was “devastated” by the death and was cooperating with the investigation, according to FOX Carolina. However, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the camp had “not fully” cooperated, the newspaper later reported. The camp has since been closed and the state has announced it will revoke its license.

The camp said it conducted an internal investigation into the incident, which “concluded that there is no evidence that Trails failed to properly supervise, that Trails caused harm, and that conditions at Trails were unsafe or unhealthy,” Fox Carolina said.

It was still unclear as of Wednesday whether charges had been or would be filed.