Teen lost to the wilderness mourned:
Answers elusive in Utah death case
By James Vaznis, Globe
Staff | July 23, 2006
The mother of a 16-year-old South
Boston girl who died while hiking in Utah last Sunday said her only
daughter would be alive if the Outward Bound Wilderness program
didn't allow her to hike alone.
``As far as I'm concerned, it's
neglect," said Elisa Woods, the mother of Elisa Santry Woods, who
later recalled the difficult pregnancy and premature birth of her
daughter.
``She was my miracle," she said,
``but now she is gone."
As the family gathers for Santry's
funeral tomorrow, Outward Bound Wilderness released new information
on the fatal hike and a Utah state regulator of youth programs
raised questions about the group's operating procedures.
Santry was found dead at 11 p.m. last
Sunday, on the 16th day of a 22-day backpacking and rafting
expedition, in a rugged desert, a quarter-mile from Canyonlands
National Park . She had been missing for five hours in 110-degree
heat, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office .
For large chunks of time that Sunday,
instructors of Outward Bound Wilderness allowed students to hike
without adult supervision, sometimes alone, said Mickey Freeman, the
organization's president. He said it's not uncommon for teenagers to
hike by themselves, noting that the program is designed to teach
responsibility, confidence, and self-reliance.
``We are mourning with the mother for
this situation, but it would be complete speculation on what may or
may not have saved her daughter's life," he said. ``Something went
wrong. We don't know what. We want to find out as much as the family
does."
Santry was an outstanding student at
a city exam school, the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and
Science in Roxbury , and was a well-liked cashier at Sullivan's
eatery on Castle Island. She believed the trip west would provide
her with an opportunity to conquer her shyness and build new
relationships. She was awarded a full scholarship to go by Summer
Search, a program that helps low-income high school students and
provides them with a counselor.
Summer Search could not be reached
for comment yesterday.
The Utah Medical Examiner's Office
hasn't determined a cause of death. Autopsy results will be complete
in four to eight weeks. Outward Bound Wilderness has cast doubts on
dehydration as a factor. The organization said her body was
discovered with a bottle one-fifth full of water, food such as
raisins and nuts, and two packets of electrolyte powder, which can
be helpful in high temperatures.
Elisa Woods, who traveled to Utah
last week, said in a telephone interview Friday night that she heard
from an instructor that her daughter was not feeling well the
morning of the hike and instructors said she could stay behind at
the camp or go with the group.
``They noticed she didn't eat much,"
Woods said. ``They shouldn't have given her the option to go. She's
a 16-year-old child."
Freeman said he had no information
about Santry not feeling well. He said the girl, who was tall and
thin, requested the group stop at least once during the hike, but
when the program director visited the group at 2 p.m., they all said
they were OK. Freeman said the group was traveling leisurely, about
50 minutes a mile, and took many breaks.
The five teens Santry was hiking with
that day last remember seeing her when the group took a break at
4:45 p.m., according to new information from an internal
investigation by Outward Bound Wilderness. After the break, the
group split up. They still had 1.25 miles before reaching their
destination at the Colorado River in the Canyonlands National Park,
where an instructor waited. Four teens traveled ahead of Santry,
while the fifth lagged behind Santry.
The four teens who reached the river
first have given conflicting reports to Outward Bound Wilderness
about whether Santry eventually caught up to them. Everyone realized
that Santry was missing when the last girl, who lagged behind Santry,
arrived at the river with an instructor at 6 p.m. That instructor
had been waiting with a seventh teen, who was evacuated with an
injured ankle.
Outward Bound conducted a search,
tapping four instructors trained in first aid and search and rescue
skills. They didn't call the sheriff's office or the National Park
Service until they found Santry's body five hours later.
The Sheriff's Office said in a press
release that Santry was waiting for another hiker before she got
lost, but Outward Bound Wilderness officials are not convinced that
is true.
Hiking in temperatures above 90
degrees and allowing youth to travel alone goes against Utah state
regulations for wilderness programs that troubled youth are mandated
to attend. But those regulations don't apply to Outward Bound
Wilderness because it's a voluntary program open to all youth, said
Ken Stettler, director of the Office of Licensing for the Utah
Department of Human Services.
``All we can do is regulate the youth
treatment programs, not the recreation programs. Otherwise, we would
have been on those guys before," he said, referring to Outward Bound
Wilderness.
He also believes Outward Bound
Wilderness waited too long to call professional emergency workers.
``Maybe they could have revived her,"
he said.
Woods said it's too soon to consider
whether legal action will be taken.
``I want to take care of my baby" she
said, ``and put her to rest." 
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