State officials say they are removing children from the care of Trails Carolina, a therapy camp in western North Carolina where a 12-year-old boy died earlier this month. 

The camp criticized the state Department of Health and Human Services and the county sheriff's office, calling the move reckless and saying state officials "threatened and intimidated parents by demanding parents travel from all over the country to pick up their children."

What You Need To Know

  •  State officials removed children from the care of Trails Carolina therapy camp in the North Carolina mountains

  •  A 12-year-old boy died at the camp on Feb. 3, less than 24 hours after he got there

  •  The camp bills itself as a wilderness therapy program for 10- to 17-year-olds

  •  A statement from the camp criticized state and local officials and said removing the children was a "negligent and reckless move"

The Transylvania County Sheriff's Office and the county Department of Social Services, along with officials from DHHS, have been investigating the camp since a boy died Feb. 3

"Action needed to be taken to ensure the health and safety of the children," DHHS said in a brief statement Friday morning. State officials said any new admissions to the camp are suspended.

The camp will not be allowed to bring back former campers or take new children until April 14, according to the order from DHHS.

In a statement to the media Friday, the camp blasted state officials.

"The children were receiving high-level clinical care for complex mental health diagnoses requiring experienced professionals with full knowledge of critical medications and specialized treatment regimens," Trails Carolina said in a statement Friday.

"Normally, locating alternative programs and matching children for placement takes several weeks. This negligent and reckless move by the State denied parents the opportunity to continue to care for their children in the appropriate manner," the camp said. 

DHHS said the county department of social services is caring for the children and their parents have been notified. 

"Parents believe the program is safe and do not want their children’s treatment disrupted by the State, which has continued to make reckless decisions based on false and misleading information from the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office," Trails Carolina said.

"Local, experienced, and knowledgeable DSS social workers on-site have indicated in written reports and conversations with program staff that kids are safe, properly supervised and at no risk of harm," the camp said Sunday. 

Trails Carolina also accused the sheriff's office of illegally detaining four boys, all 10 to 12 years old, until 1 a.m. on Feb. 6.

The sheriff's office said Friday evening that investigators are conducting a comprehensive inquiry into the boy's death and expressed concern about safety at the camp.

"I cannot speak to their regulatory actions or that of DSS due to confidentiality issues," Detective John C. Nicholson said in a statement. "I do know they, as well as the Sheriff's Office are concerned about the welfare and safety of the children that were still at the camp."

"I can tell you that the Sheriff's Office is conducting a professional investigation and exercising due diligence in trying to determine the true facts wherever they may lead in the death of the 12-year-old child," he stated.

The camp is near Lake Toxaway, about 35 miles southwest of Asheville in the North Carolina mountains. 

Trails Carolina said it was cooperating with the investigations into what happened leading to the boy's death the day after he arrived at the camp. 

"Trails maintains there is no evidence of criminal conduct or suspicious acts, based upon all knowledge available to us and information and statements from involved agencies," the camp said in an earlier statement.

"Trails and all related personnel have not been charged with any crimes. Knowing the truth about what caused the loss of this young boy’s life is what matters, and we eagerly await the report by the chief medical examiner," the camp said Monday. 

The camp billed itself as a wilderness therapy program for children 10 to 17 years old. The camp's website, which was taken down Friday, said it specializes in treating youth with depression, bipolar disorder, trauma and PTSD.

The cause of the boy's death is still under investigation, according to the sheriff's office. The boy's body was taken to the medical examiner's office in Winston-Salem, because investigators said the cause of death did not appear to be natural.

Death under investigation

The boy got to the camp less than 24 hours before he died, according to the sheriff's office. The boy was brought to the camp from New York by two men on Feb. 2, the sheriff's office said. 

The next morning, the camp called 911 and said the boy was not breathing, according to search warrants released by the sheriff's office.  

When first responders got to the camp, the boy's body was "cold to the touch," the warrants said.

Camp counselors told investigators that the boy slept his first night in a "bivvy" in one of the cabins, the warrants said. The bivvy is similar to a one-person tent, and it had an alarm on the zipper to make sure the boy did not get out, according to the sheriff's office.

Camp officials told investigators they checked on the boy at midnight, 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. before he was found dead at 7:45 a.m.

Investigators said the camp would not let them speak with the four other children who were in the cabin or tell social service workers where they were. 

Trails Carolina rejected the sheriff's accusation that the camp was not cooperative with the investigation. 

"Trails asked parents' permission for any children involved to speak with law enforcement and state regulatory agencies, and we complied with each parent’s preference, as we are required to do," the camp said in a statement. "Children were moved from the area to protect them from seeing what was happening, not to avoid investigators."