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Cuyahoga coroner says Barberton girl choked while being restrained at treatment facility
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Jan 06, 2009
The death of a Barberton teenager at a Parma treatment facility last month has been ruled a homicide, the Cuyahoga County coroner said Monday.
Faith Finley, 17, suffocated and choked to death on her own vomit while being restrained by staff members, the coroner determined.
Finley died Dec. 13 at Parmadale Family Services, a Catholic Charities-run facility that treats youths with severe behavioral health and developmental problems. She was in the custody of Summit County Children Services at the time and had been placed there by the agency.
''For this kind of an outcome to occur is deeply, deeply concerning and frankly painful,'' Children Services Executive Director John Saros said after learning about the ruling. ''This was a beautiful young woman who was sent there to receive treatment services.
''Parmadale always had an outstanding reputation for working with some pretty troubled kids, which is what makes this all the more terrible.''
The coroner, Dr. Frank Miller, cautioned the public not
to misinterpret the homicide finding. The ruling ''merely means the death of an individual at the hands of another individual. Nothing sinister is being implied in this ruling,'' his office said in a prepared statement.
The coroner said Finley died ''due to lack of oxygen that was exacerbated by choking on regurgitated stomach content.'' At the time, she was being restrained ''after a reported outburst of disruptive behavior.''
J. Thomas Mullen, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities, issued a statement saying the agency would cooperate with authorities.
''We continue our prayers and support for the young woman and her family,'' he said. ''We, at this time, will wait for the legal process to move forward based on the coroner's finding and future actions.''
He previously has said that workers don't use straitjackets, handcuffs or manacles to restrain children. Instead, staff members physically restrain them and are trained to use safe methods, he has said.
It is unclear whether the staff members who restrained Finley still are working at the facility. Mullen did not return a call seeking comment.
Family attorney Jill Flagg said Finley's mother, Antionette, was not shocked by the homicide ruling.
Antionette Finley remains heartbroken, Flagg said.
Faith Finley and her twin sister had been in county custody since last April because of unruly behavior. Her sister was at a different facility.
''In light of the medical examiner's findings, there's obviously been some wrongdoing and we'll continue to seek justice for this family,'' Flagg said.
Agencies investigate
The coroner's ruling has been shared with Parma police, which has been investigating Finley's death.
''We're still gathering facts,'' police spokesman Detective Marty Compton said. Police will sit down with the Cuyahoga County prosecutor after the investigation to determine if any charges should be filed, he said.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services also is looking into the incident. State investigators are at the facility and are expected to be there for the next few weeks, a spokesman said.
Summit County has stopped sending children to the facility.
After Finley's death, the county shifted five of its children to other treatment centers. Three people in the county's custody — all over the age of 18 — remain at Parmadale because it has been difficult placing them in other facilities, Saros said.
Ohio has a shortage of treatment facilities for troubled youth, he said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
The death of a Barberton teenager at a Parma treatment facility last month has been ruled a homicide, the Cuyahoga County coroner said Monday.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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AKRON, OH
Posted 03:20 AM, 01/06/2009
my heart and prayers goes out to the mother and other family members in this time of pain. in today's world with our children we have to ask god to give us patience and take away the evil thoughts that we may have toward our children when they misbehave and become creatures that we don't know anymore. we have to seek out and find spiritual help and not the help of these people that look at us as being unfit and bad parents when they don't know us at all. no matter how hard it might be we have to deal with it and handle things in our way because when we let the system get involved they take it further than should be expected. no child no matter what should die at the hands of the one that is suppose to help and protect them. may the lord continue to give you the strength that you need to battle a race that satan wants to lead.
akron, OH
Posted 07:20 AM, 01/06/2009
the staff is incompetent and should be charged with 1st degree murder
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:47 AM, 01/06/2009
my heart and prayers go out to the parents and family members of this young girl. Another life has been taken and this should have never happened. This child was suppose to be protected and helped instead she was murdered, I hope who ever did this to her gets what they deserve, and by the sounds of it they should have never been working witht troubled kids.
Posted 08:34 AM, 01/06/2009
"Troubled" teenage emotions an adult-strength body = violence that hard to restrain. I'm not sure we'll read the details of how violent this teenager was at the time they were trying to restrain her. Such a tragedy for everyone on both sides of the story.
Posted 08:52 AM, 01/06/2009
Whatever happened to padded rooms? Why not change policy so all an employee/caretaker is allowed to do it put them in a room with nothing until they calm down. Include jails in this policy. I have worked in several facilities for the mentally disabled and policy was always that we werent allowed to restrain them no matter what they did because it violated their rights.
Posted 09:35 AM, 01/06/2009
As a psychiatric nurse, let me explain. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. Whether it's a charitable institution or a for-profit corporation, there's never enough to treat these patients. Not enough staff, not enough resources. And don't get me started on these families, this behavior didn't start yesterday. You've got idiot parents, underpaid and under compensated staff, and aggressive minors who have been out of control for years. There are no consequences for these patients, it's all about "behavior modification". Well, first you have to have a brain to modify. No one goes into this profession because they want to make a million dollars. We do it to try and make a difference. Families bring these patients in a the end of the road and then expect us to "fix" them. And when we can't undo the the years of neglect, abuse and just plain lunacy, they sue us. It's always the fault of someone else. I'm sorry this girl died, no kid should have to live like this, but rest assured there will be a payout to the family, and all we will hear about is what "angels" she and her family have been, how there were no problems in the family, how religious they were and what good people they are; not a word will be said about how two sisters took over the adults in the home and did whatever they wanted.
Posted 09:47 AM, 01/06/2009
This is truly tragic. My daughters and I knew Faith and her twin sister several years ago. Both girls had stayed at our home, and were both sweet, very intelligent girls. They and their mother have been through some terribly difficult circumstances. Our prayers go out to this family.
AKRON, OH
Posted 09:59 AM, 01/06/2009
ALBERTA - WONDERFUL - SOMEONE WITH A CLUE
Mogadore, OH
Posted 10:16 AM, 01/06/2009
Alberta, very well articulated...
The Great City in, OH
Posted 11:13 AM, 01/06/2009
I must admit, your post does make sense Alberta; even so, it appears to me that you are about ready or need to change profession.
I would guess you have been in the field ten plus years and burned out.
~Thank you for your service~
Posted 11:47 AM, 01/06/2009
Actually, I love my job. Grace is the ability to empathize, and remove your emotions when performing a service. It is what separates mature adults from the immature, reactionary people who have never grown up, cannot hold down a job and blame everyone else for their problems. Putting aside your own beliefs is the primary requirement for being a good nurse, but it does not eliminate me from having an opinion.
AKRON, OH
Posted 12:11 PM, 01/06/2009
:-)
akron, oh
Posted 04:34 PM, 01/06/2009
Alberta - you should be a motivational speaker for the NAACP.
Delhi, AP
Posted 04:36 AM, 01/09/2009
There are many troubled teens in country having various problems such as violent, depression, anxiety etc. The troubled adolescent treatment centers offer numerous treatment programs for depress teens, the center help them to rid out from their various problems.
http://www.strugglingteen.net/
Stow, OH
Posted 08:37 AM, 01/14/2009
i have no idea what to say about this one.
