Teen

Boy's parents probing his death; Forensic pathologist reviewing Allentown teen's care at center

Feb 10, 2006

Cynthia Allen calls it a mothers intuition.

Ever since her teenage son died, she hears him calling every night, Get off me. You're hurting me. I cant breathe.

Giovanni Joey Aletriz died Saturday after reportedly being restrained by staff at SummitQuest Academy, a residential treatment center for youths in Ephrata, Lancaster County, according to preliminary police reports.

Now, Allen says she wants justice for Joey. Allen and the boys father, Jaime Aletriz, both of Allentown, have hired Allentown lawyer Peter Karoly, who is coordinating an independent inquiry into the 16-year-old boys death.

At a news conference Thursday, Dr. John Shane, a Lehigh Valley forensic pathologist hired by Karoly, said he has tentatively concluded that Aletriz died from positional asphyxia, meaning he couldnt breathe, possibly because of pressure against his chest. Aletriz may have died while being held face-down against the floor, according to Shane, who attended the Lancaster County autopsy.

The boy had trauma to the left side of his head and back, consistent with possibly being forced against the floor, Shane said.

Shane said follow-up work needs to be done, including toxicology and tissue testing, before he can reach a final conclusion.

The official autopsy results have not been issued. SummitQuest has not returned phone calls seeking comment.

Karoly and Shane said they have not concluded whether any type of wrongdoing occurred. They said they have trust in Lancaster County officials to do a thorough investigation.

The boys parents, both 41, contacted Karolys law firm on Tuesday. The reason the family came to us is they didnt know quite what to do, said lawyer Edward Eidelman, who works with Karoly.

Allen, a nurse, and Aletriz, a chef, cried and held hands as Shane and the lawyers spoke during the news conference. Then they talked about their son.

Allen described him as a smart, artistic boy.

He was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 260 pounds. Joey was a big bear, his mother said.

He liked to help his friends, his mother said. I said, baby, you should be a social worker... We had so many plans for the future.

Two years ago, the boy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness. Its a serious brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a persons mood, energy, and ability to function.

It basically took his childhood because he couldnt be a normal child, his mother said.

Three months ago, he went to SummitQuest for treatment for anger management problems, to give him coping skills. He was referred there by juvenile probation officials.

Before he died, he mailed his mother a letter saying he wasnt allowed to see her for a few months. He wanted her to know hed be all right.

She received the letter after he died.

When he stopped breathing Saturday, he was taken to Ephrata Community Hospital in Ephrata, where he was pronounced dead. Thats also where he was born.

We thought it was like a new beginning in his life, his mother said. Hed go back to where he started from.

The academy is a 129-bed state-licensed facility. It provides various types of behavioral therapy for boys aged 10 to 18.

As officials continue to investigate Aletrizs death, the state Department of Public Welfare is embarking on a program to reduce and possibly eliminate the use of physical restraint to control institutionalized youths.

Pennsylvania is a national pioneer in that effort, according to Connell OBrien of the Pennsylvania Community Providers Association, a trade group for behavioral service providers.

On Feb. 1, Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman convened a meeting of 175 providers to launch the program. Its one of her visions to have a restraint-free state, said department spokesman Kevin Cramsey.

During the next few months, the department will be holding similar meetings across the state. Its called the Alternatives to Coercive Techniques Initiative.

OBrien said he doesnt believe its realistic to expect that restraints can be completely eliminated but that should be the goal.

When we all come to work thinking that way, he said, I think that will inevitably bring us as close to zero as it possibly can.

Finding more ways to prevent youths from losing control of themselves is important, he said. Employees need to develop more empathetic relationships with children in institutions, he said.

But once an employee sees a child starting to lose control, the employee should refocus the childs attention, including by taking a walk and talking with the child, he said. If the child is being provoked by another child, he said that stimuli namely the other child should be removed. Those are just a few ideas offered by OBrien.

One reason to avoid restraint is that it can hurt the relationship between the staff and the child.

The last thing we want to do is to do something that is liable to damage our relationship with that child, OBrien said.

KidsPeace:

In the 1990s, KidsPeace, a residential treatment center for youths in North Whitehall Township, had deaths similar to Aletrizs.

In 1999, Mark Draheim, 14, of New Jersey, died from asphyxia due to compression of the chest after being restrained by counselors. Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin concluded it was an accident.

At the time, Martin said he believes state law should allow employees to use mechanical restraints, such as handcuffs and ankle straps, as an alternative to holding down the child. The state has a ban on mechanical restraints.

In 1993, Jason Tallman, 12, also of New Jersey, died at KidsPeace after being restrained by counselors. A counselor was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter.