Initial autopsy: Restrained teen was suffocated
Lancaster New Era (PA)
Publication Date: February 9, 2006
CINDY STAUFFER
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Initial autopsy findings show that a teen who died in Ephrata over the weekend suffocated while being held down, the attorney for the teen's parents said today.
Giovanni Aletriz, 16, of Allentown, died Saturday.
He was a resident of SummitQuest Academy, a facility that treats boys with mental health and sex offender problems.
His death was the second one in two months at the behavioral treatment center.
Aletriz was taken to Ephrata Community Hospital after he became ill while being restrained by SummitQuest staff due to disruptive behavior, according to Ephrata Borough Police, who are investigating the death.
He died at the hospital a few hours later.
His family hired an independent forensic pathologist, Dr. John Shane, to attend the teen's autopsy Tuesday.
Their attorney, Peter Karoly of Allentown, held a press conference today to announce the preliminary findings of that autopsy.
Aletriz's death "most likely resulted in the victim being held in a face down position forcefully," Karoly said today.
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. G. Gary Kirchner reiterated a statement he made earlier this week that no ruling has been made in Aletriz's death because drug and tissue tests are still pending.
"We have no position whatsoever," Kirchner said.
"We have listed it as pending."
SummitQuest officials did not return calls for comment by press time.
Karoly agreed that further tests need to be done, but said initial findings are indicating the teen suffocated.
Aletriz suffered a number of injuries consistent with that finding, Karoly said.
The autopsy showed evidence of a traumatic injury to the left side of the teen's head, chest compression, lesions inside his shoulders, and bleeding near his shoulder blade, in his ribs and in his spinal area, the attorney said.
The teen, who was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 260 pounds, also had bite marks on his lips and tongue and stomach material in his nose, also indicators that he suffocated, Karoly said.
SummitQuest officials told Aletriz's parents he died from congestive heart failure, Karoly said.
Aletriz's mother previously said her son recently underwent an electrocardiogram, which did not uncover problems.
Aletriz had lived at SummitQuest about three months.
He had been diagnosed as being bipolar and had struggled with anger problems, his mother said.
"I think the fact that this young man, age 16, died in such a horrible way is outrageous on the heels of the death in December, just two months ago," Karoly said.
"We have heard rumors that things aren't well at SummitQuest Academy and will be conducting a thorough investigation."
Another SummitQuest resident, James White, 17, of Philadelphia, died Dec. 12.
An autopsy conducted here showed he had an enlarged heart and died of natural causes.
State Department of Public Welfare officials visited SummitQuest after White's death and found no wrongdoing.
Public welfare officials also visited SummitQuest officials earlier this week to look into Aletriz's death.
Earlier this week, SummitQuest officials released a statement saying the staff follows a crisis management procedure developed by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's West Psychiatric Institute.
The techniques include ways to safely use manual restraint in the presence of a nurse.
Manual restraint is used only when a resident poses a risk of harm to himself or others, the statement said.
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Family Seeks Answers in Boy's Death
Story posted on 2006-02-09 19:06:00
A 16 year old Allentown boy is found dead at a treatment center, and tonight, investigators say they're treating it as a potentially criminal act. Family and friends remember a young man many call a "gentle giant."
WFMZ's Carl Madonna joins us live from Dieruff High School in Allentown with more. Carl?
Here at Dieruff there was a moment of silence today to remember a classmate and a friend.
Students here like many are demanding answers tonight about how this 16 year old boy died where he turned for help.
16-year-old Joey Alteriz died Saturday at the Summit Quest Academy in Lancaster County.
Police say he died from cardiac arrest after being restrained by Academy employees.
Preliminary autopsy reports say Joey died from Asfixia.
Peter Karoly:
14:31:17 "...indicating heavy positioning of Joey Alteriz face down, also traumatic injuries about the shoulder, right lower abdomen, indicating compression and forcefully being maintained in a face down position."
Madonna:
News of Joey's death sent shockwaves through Dieruff High School where Joey was loved.
Katie Scehler:
4:14 "...Giovanni was a really great person, he was always there for anybody if they had a problem, he's was a big sweetheart."
Robert Woolf:
9:33 "...his boiling point would take a long time, I don't think he would get mad right away and if he did lash out it would be from anger from a lot of things."
Madonna:
The Lancaster County coroner is waiting for results from tissue and organ samples.
We spoke with Dr. Richard Grala, the Director of Summit Quest..he said, "...summit quest academy is involved in an internal investigation and it fully cooperating with local and state authorities to help them with their investigations. At Summit Quest we utilize a comprehensive crisis management procedure developed by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Western Psychiatric Institute."
Cynthia Allen:
14:44:55 "...I didn't send my son away to get killed, I never in a million years planned to have my sons funeral."
Lehigh County officials say they will suspend referrals to Summit Quest until this investigation is complete.
Two months before this incident another boy died at Summit Quest. His name was James White. We're told police in Ephrata are still investigating his death. We're live in Allentown, I'm Carl Madonna, 69 News.
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Police: Teen dies after reportedly being restrained
The Associated Press
February 8, 2006
EPHRATA, Pa. - A teen living at a behavioral treatment center died after reportedly being restrained for disruptive behavior, police said.
Giovanni Aletriz, 16, of Allentown, may have gone into cardiac arrest Saturday after employees at SummitQuest Academy restrained him, said Ephrata police, who were investigating. He later died at a hospital.
His death was the second one at SummitQuest in less than two months. Another resident, James White, 17, died in December of what the county coroner determined was natural causes.
Giovanni's mother, Cynthia Allen, told the New Era of Lancaster that she suspects he was restrained improperly.
"My son had a strong heart and shouldn't be dead. There's no reason a 16-year-old should die of a heart attack," she said. The family has hired an independent pathologist, she said.
Stacey Ward, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, said the agency visited the facility Monday but had not completed its investigation.
A police news release said "reports are" that Giovanni had been restrained before he died. The police referred questions to Lancaster County District Attorney Don Totaro, who declined to comment about whether the boy had been restrained.
SummitQuest's parent company issued a statement saying information about the treatment of people in their care is protected by privacy laws.
"On the subject of the use of restraint in general, at SummitQuest Academy, we utilize a comprehensive crisis management procedure ... (that) includes techniques designed to safely use manual restraint in the presence of a nurse," according to ViaQuest Behavioral Health Pennsylvania regional director Christopher Grala.
The 129-bed facility treats boys with psychiatric and behavioral problems, including "sexually abusive or sexually problematic behaviors", the company said.
Ward said there was no restraint involved in White's death. Lancaster Coroner Gary Kirchner said White had an enlarged heart.
On the Net:
SummitQuest:
http://www.vbh.cc/page1152.cfm---
Information from: Lancaster New Era,
http://www.lancasteronline.com/newera-
2nd teen death at facility probed
Lancaster New Era (PA)
Publication Date: February 7, 2006
CINDY STAUFFER
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State and local officials are investigating the Saturday death of a 16-year-old boy who was a resident of a behavioral treatment facility in Ephrata.
The boy's death was the second in two months at the residential facility, SummitQuest Academy, which cares for mentally ill and sexual offender teens and pre-teens.
The Ephrata Borough Police Department is investigating the matter, and plans to turn its findings over to the Lancaster County District Attorney's office.
Also, state Department of Public Welfare officials visited the facility Monday, a routine occurrence after such a death, a department spokeswoman said today.
Giovanni Aletriz, 16, of Allentown, died Saturday at Ephrata Community Hospital.
He may have gone into cardiac arrest after being restrained by the staff at SummitQuest for disruptive behavior, according to a press release from the Ephrata Borough Police Department.
The boy's parents have hired an independent pathologist, who planned to attend the boy's autopsy today at the county morgue, his mother said today.
"My son had a strong heart and shouldn't be dead," said Cynthia Allen of Allentown.
"There's no reason a 16-year-old should die of a heart attack."
The boy coincidentally had undergone an electrocardiogram of his heart just last week, which turned up no underlying problems, his mother said.
"In my opinion, he was restrained wrong," she said.
Aletriz's death follows the death of James White, 17, of Philadelphia, a SummitQuest resident who died from heart problems Dec. 12.
Aletriz's mother said she heard that White died after exercising in the gym at SummitQuest.
An autopsy done here showed that White had an enlarged heart and died from natural causes, Lancaster County Coroner Dr.
Gary Kirchner said today.
An enlarged heart sometimes causes heart-rhythm problems.
Public welfare department officials also looked into White's death, said spokeswoman Stacey Ward.
She did not know the outcome of that inquiry at presstime.
SummitQuest Academy has operated the facility, just off Route 272 in Ephrata, since 2001.
The company operates behavioral and mental health facilities for teens and adults in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Its Ephrata facility can treat up to 129 teens and pre-teens who have problems with mental health, sexual offenses and sexually inappropriate behavior.
Officials at the facility did not return calls for comment by presstime today.
Allen said her son went to SummitQuest about three months ago for treatment of mental health problems.
He was diagnosed as bipolar when he was 14 and had struggled with his anger, she said.
She said her son was a large teen, standing 6 feet and weighing 260 pounds.
He did not have a history of cardiac problems, she said.
However, he recently had complained of chest discomfort during exercise, which is why he had the EKG that turned up no abnormalities, she said.
SummitQuest officials told Allen that two people restrained Aletriz on the day he died, before he became ill, she said.
They did not call her until 45 minutes after he was taken to the hospital, she said.
"They could have let him go, put him in a room, anything," she says.
"'Get off me, I can't breathe' ? that's what I keep hearing my son say in my head."