State regulators fined a western North Carolina therapy camp $18,000 and said they intend to revoke its license. The notice comes after an investigation into the death of a 12-year-old boy at the Trails Carolina camp in February. 

What You Need To Know

  •  State regulators intend to revoke the license for Trails Carolina, a therapy camp in western North Carolina

  •  A 12-year-old boy died at the camp in February

  •  The state already suspended the camp's license and removed the children and teenagers from the camp

  •  NCDHHS also fined the camp $18,000 for violating state rules for therapy programs

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which regulated mental health treatment programs like Trails, suspended the camp's license in February and removed the children and teenagers from their care.

DHHS's latest action, detailed in four letters to the camp dated March 28, cited the camp for violating four state statutes, including the duty to protect patients from harm, abuse, neglect or exploitation. 

"We were surprised and disappointed to learn of the state's intent to revoke the program's license, given the progress we've made and continue to make. More than 2,500 children and families have benefited from Trails and we will continue cooperating with the state to satisfy their concerns," Trails Carolina said in a statement Friday. 

"We understand the situation's immense media pressure and the impact such pressure has on state agencies doing their best to serve the public and act in the best interest of children and their families. The basis for some of the state's conclusions are unclear, since it indicates policies it had approved, and in some cases helped create, are noncompliant," Trails said.

Trails Carolina is a therapy camp for 12 to 17-year-olds near Lake Toxaway, about 35 miles southwest of Asheville. The camp's website, which has since been taken down, said they treat youth with bipolar disorder, depression, trauma and PTSD.

State regulators and the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office began investigating the camp after a boy was found dead on Feb. 3. The 12-year-old had gotten to the camp less than 24 hours before he died, according to the sheriff's office. 

Camp counselors told investigators that they found him that morning, and he was not breathing, according to search warrants released by the sheriff's office. First responders said the boy was "cold to the touch" when they got to the camp, the warrants said.

Staff at the camp told investigators that for his first night, the boy slept in a "bivvy" in one of the cabins, according to the sheriff's office. A bivvy is similar to a single-person tent, but the camp attached an alarm to the zipper so the boy could not get out, the warrants said. 

Officials with the camp said they checked on the child at midnight, 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., and then found him dead at 7:45 a.m.