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FBI investigating teen's death at
Missouri boot camp
November 8, 2007
By Sam Hananel
FBI officials said
late Thursday the agency is launching a preliminary investigation
into the death of a student at a Missouri boot camp for troubled
teens.
The Government Accountability Office had asked the FBI to look
into potential criminal wrongdoing in the 2004 death of 15-year-old
Roberto Reyes.
Jeff Lanza, a spokesman for the FBI's Kansas City, Mo., office,
said the agency will gather evidence for the next 30 to 90 days to
determine whether a full investigation is needed.
"We're seeking to determine if there is evidence that a crime has
been committed and, if so, if that crime is a violation of federal
law," Lanza said.
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preliminary investigation, Lanza said, the FBI will conduct
interviews and review pertinent records in the case.
Reyes died after spending less than two weeks at the Thayer
Learning Center in Kidder, Mo., about 50 miles north of Kansas City.
His parents had sent him to Thayer after the California teenager's
grades dropped and he repeatedly ran away from home.
His death was blamed on a probable spider bite, but GAO officials
said records and interviews showed he had been ill for days and
abused for insubordination.
Rhonda Smiley, a Kansas City attorney for Thayer and its owner,
Willa Bundy, said she had not been informed of any action by the
FBI.
"I'm confident that their preliminary investigation will end up
with the same conclusion that all of the prior investigations have
reached, that there is no abuse," Smiley said.
Smiley called the GAO report an inaccurate summary of the facts
and stressed that there has never been any official finding of abuse
or neglect in the case.
After Reyes' death, his parents sued the camp and several staff
members, eventually settling the case for slightly more than $1
million. No criminal charges were filed against the camp.
The case received renewed attention after a congressional hearing
last month on residential treatment programs for children. GAO
officials testified that they believe there was evidence showing
that Reyes was abused before he died.
Some lawmakers, concerned about cases of abuse and neglect at
some facilities, want Congress to regulate such camps more strictly.
No criminal charges have ever been filed against Thayer.
A state investigative team reported that it appeared those
responsible for Reyes' safety did not recognize his medical distress
or provide adequate treatment.
Thayer officials are challenging in court the Department of
Social Services' findings that employees at Thayer medically
neglected Reyes.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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