Gayle Palmer DeGraff

[Anonymous]

The Ah Quin brothers have been posted about  on fornits:

March 2004:  Clay Ah Quin was the Director of Liahona Academy

His brother Adam AhQuin was the Director of:
Maximum Life Skills Academy
In March 2004, two teens murdered the young counselor, at this facility , Anson Arnet, by beating him in the head with a baseball bat.

[Anonymous]

Gayle Degraff Palmer associated with misrepresenting her program (Summit Quest) and others (Challenger, Red Rock Academy) in the case of:

John McMahon                    severe abuse
Michelle Sutton                    dehydration, death
Katie Lank                           Head Trauma

Gayle Palmer had worked at Challenger with Cartisano.  Cartisano had a child die in the Challenger program 6 weeks after Michelle died.  

Lance Jagger wroked for Cartisano and with Gayle Palmer, he submitted testimony against Cartisano at the trial for Kristen Chase.  A few years later Aaron Bacon acute peritonitis resulting from a perforated ulcer- he was emaciated.  Katie Lank died due to a severe trauma to the head after falling into a large crevice in tough terrain circumstances sourround that death point to negligence in staff supervision and judgement.  

Interesting how Gayle is connected to Cartisano, Jagger and now works for Top Flight Academy (as per many websites) with former co-worker Brinn Thorson at Red Rock Ranch Academy where Katie Lank died.  

All these children have died and the parents were told it was a "freak accident", until it is investigated and proved otherwise.  However, no one is ever held accountable for the death or abuse.  Gayle Degraff Palmer is still allowed to continue to work in the industry.  When will it finally be enough?

[Anonymous]

Good question that ought to be posed to each and every one of the ed cons and referral agencies and their partner "child" advocates who sell these programs to parents as "safe and effective" options or alternatives.

[Anonymous]

Good question that ought to be posed to each and every one of the ed cons and referral agencies and their partner "child" advocates who sell these programs to parents as "safe and effective" options or alternatives.

Sue Scheff of PURE uses(d) Gayle Degraff Palmer (wwasps vs pure transcripts-  her own words)  as an inspector for PURE to check out programs.  

I don't think Gayle Degraff Palmer is a good source to "check out programs" for an organization that is supposed to advocate for the safety of programs.  If I were a parent I would check out the transcipts on the ISAC site to see in her own words her use of Gayle Degraff as an inspector for PURE.

Izabelle Zinder of CAICA could do good work but continues to sourround herself with abusers while she touts advocacy of children it is hypocritical.  Why would she name Sue Scheff advocate of the month?  Sue Scheff is a referral agent who receives
money for refering people to the programs she has contracts with.

Is this a money trail?  PURE/Sue-Caica/Degraff

[Anonymous]

Read Isabelle's report on Majestic Ranch if you have any doubts about the allegations of abuse leveled against this program - which according to an email in the PURE documents thread, is one of the  programs Sue Scheff (PURE) recommended to parents.

[Anonymous]

Good question that ought to be posed to each and every one of the ed cons and referral agencies and their partner "child" advocates who sell these programs to parents as "safe and effective" options or alternatives.

Sue Scheff of PURE uses(d) Gayle Degraff Palmer (wwasps vs pure transcripts-  her own words)  as an inspector for PURE to check out programs.  

I don't think Gayle Degraff Palmer is a good source to "check out programs" for an organization that is supposed to advocate for the safety of programs.  If I were a parent I would check out the transcipts on the ISAC site to see in her own words her use of Gayle Degraff as an inspector for PURE.

Izabelle Zinder of CAICA could do good work but continues to sourround herself with abusers while she touts advocacy of children it is hypocritical.  Why would she name Sue Scheff advocate of the month?  Sue Scheff is a referral agent who receives
money for refering people to the programs she has contracts with.

Is this a money trail?  PURE/Sue-Caica/Degraff

Marie Peart also reportedly works in association with PURE and has her own website.

http://www.parentandteenresources.com

[Anonymous]

It's like playing the game, "Connect the Dots."

I just read two BLOGS on the CAICA website that were designed to discredit 'ONE' Mother's claim that her child was abused at Whitmore Academy.  I found these BLOGS to be childish and unprofessional.    

I would say to this Mother, "People have a way of hanging themselves."  In time all this will come around full circle to bite these so-called "Child Advocates" in the butt.

It would be nice if we could push a rewind button and go back to 1989 when a Mother named, Deborah McMahon, after discovering that her son, Jon, suffered abuse while in the now de-funct Challenger program.  Her words to Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Ken Stettler, were, "Someone is going to die!!"  Myself, along with other Mother's to follow, tried to warn the same department, and people.  Our pleas have fell upon deaf ears.

Can we blame Gayle (Palmer) DeGraff for the paperwork that must have been filed, and approved, which gave her a provisional license to kill?  Can we blame Gayle (Palmer) DeGraff for allowing one of her counselors to slip through the cracks and receive employment?  This person filled in the blank for position desired with "slave."  We later learned this man was an ex-felon.  We CAN blame Gayle for lying to Michelle and her family.  We CAN blame Utah Department of Health and Human Services for allowing Gayle to take children out in the desert, with inexperienced, illequipped, unprepared people.

I am 'ONE' of four Mother's, (there could be more) who received a letter from former Governor Rose Mofford, expressing her empathy for us in our time of grief.  I later learned that former Governor Rose Mofford sat on the Board of Directors for Arizona Boys Ranch.  

I believe in my heart that if anything is going to be done to put a stop to the neglect, abuse, molestation and manslaughter of our children, we need to follow the money trail.  Fact is, the children who have suffered in this industry, don't have lobbiest.

I feel that we need to focus on who, and what, CAN make a difference.  I know for a fact that if the kids who have suffered as a result of this industry joined together and filed a 'Class Action Suit' filled with their personal claims, positive change would come about.

There will always be controversy when it comes to these programs.  Even amongst the Child Advocates.  I feel that a TRUE Child Advocate isn't interested in tooting his or her own horn, as I found in the recent BLOGS I just read.  I feel that a TRUE Child Advocate shouldn't involve his or herself in the battles between Parent Consumers who claim their child suffered abuse, and the Program Owner, OR, Referral Service, suffering the claims against them.

I believe that NO ONE, and NO PROGRAM, within this industry deserves this kind of loyalty!!  Let's not forget that we are up against an Unregulated, Out-Of-Control, Lucrative Industry, that has claimed the lives of many children through their open window of loss, while other children were left with scars that include traumatic stress disorder.

Sincerely,

Michelle Sutton Memorial Fund, Inc.
Catherine Sutton

[Anonymous]

I could not agree more with Mrs. Sutton.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of money to be made preying upon children and parents in the teen help industry.

[Anonymous]

Yet, when a parent speaks out--the parent is BLOGGED-TO-DEATH by a person who is apparently lying, and who is calling herself a "child advocate against child abuse?" What's that all about?

[Anonymous]

I believe it's about throwing us off track............................

Anything the industry can use against you in an effort to throw you off track............THEY WILL DO IT!!

It's called "Risk Management."  Something this industry has been well trained in.  Blame it on the kids and their families, lay low for awhile.....then "Business as Usual."

It's a waste of time and energy to look at, or listen to, the garbage in the BLOGS I viewed today.  I don't even want to know how much time it took this person to write these BLOGS.  What a waste of time!!

ONE of Gayle's Attorney's once called me a derranged grieving parent.  Mr. Dalquist was his name.  I was told he quit working for Gayle shortly after because she couldn't, OR, didn't, pay him.  I found this humorous to say the least.

Our family was called dysfunctional.  The kids are labeled fakers, whiners, drug addicts.  Not only by the program owners, but those who hand out the license to these people.  The Governor's Office will tell you these kids need a swift kick in the pants while they brag about kids who have gone through the program and done well.  They may also share with you the fact that their Brother-In-Law, or friend owns such a program.......................

Gayle was able to get a copy of my daughter's "personal" camp journal from non other than the person who issued Gayle a provisional license.  This journal was not supposed to be shared with Gayle.  It was part of the ongoing criminal investigation.  Gayle later took incerpts from Michelle's "personal" journal to the local media in one of her "Risk Management" efforts to try and support a rumor she started claiming Michelle had a death wish when she entered the program, and wanted to die.  The only explanation I have for WHY the person who gave Gayle her license would do such a thing is, he must believe in the programs he licenses more than the safety and well being of the children in the programs.  A person has to ask themselves, "Who's side are the people governing this industry on?"  Well, I already have my answer!!

My response to Gayle's attempt to spreading a rumor that Michelle had a death wish when she entered the program is; Michelle asked to call her Mother upon arriving at camp?  She stated, "This program isn't what my Mother and I thought it was."  She boldly told these people, "I put myself in this program, and I can take myself out."  Does this sound like a girl who traveled all the way to Utah with a death wish in mind.

The "troubled teen" language used to "SELL" these programs to desperate parents is used against the parents AND the kids should they come forward with their claims of NEGLECT, CHILD ABUSE, MOLESTATION, ETC.

Is your kid troubled?  Are they lying?  Do they skip school?  Do they smoke pot?  Are they having sex?  Stealing?  

BUYER BEWARE!!

Whatever you tell these people (strangers) CAN and MAY be used against YOU and YOUR child should anything happen to your child.  This is their defense and way of covering up the truth.

Don't count on Utah Department of Health and Human Services to be there for you should something bad happen to your child.  They will just pat you on the head as they add a line to the current laws.  

If you doubt that these programs are all about MONEY, I have one last thing to tell you.  Perhaps I have said it before.

When Michelle died, the person handling the insurance billing for Gayle (I believe it was Gayle's sister, Sandra Noxin), called our insurance company repeatedly threatening Travelers to pay the $10,000.00 they were prepared to pay based upon the fraudulent information they had received approving Gayle's program as a Health Care Facility.  How's that??

Well, that wasn't enough.  The flowers we ordered for Michelle's graveside service became a part of her sad story.  I was doing our taxes and found that we had been double billed for these flowers.  Thinking it must have been a mistake, I called the florist.  The person who answered the phone informed me that the people who used to own the florist skipped town.  I mentioned the double billing and she said, "You'll have to stand in line."  Apparently we weren't the only ones taken in by yet another scam in the name of money..............

Our main focus needs to be fixed upon the victims of this industry.  The kids who have suffered, OR, died.  Some would like us to think that ALL the bad that has happened to kids in this industry took place in a WWASP program.  We know this isn't true.  Some who call themselves Child Advocates will minimize the abuses of children in NON WWASP entities, claiming it could have been worse had they been in a WWASP program.  I see this as self serving.  A TRUE Child Advocate does not minimize ANY form of abuse inflicted upon a child.

Sincerely,

Michelle Sutton Memorial Fund, Inc.
Catherine Sutton