'He had blood on his sweater': Family wants answers after Surry County deputies find juvenile dead at Children's Center of Northwest N.C.
A family is urging for answers after Surry County deputies found a 15-year-old dead at the Children's Center of Northwest North Carolina in Dobson.
INVESTIGATION:
Surry County deputies said the incident happened at the Children's Center of Northwest North Carolina, located on Prison Camp Road in Dobson, on January 29.
Authorities said they received a call that morning after 10 a.m. about an "unattended death."
When deputies arrived, they said they found a 15-year-old dead at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing.
WXII 12 News called the Surry County Sheriff's Office, and asked a deputy in person to talk with the sheriff to get more details.
A deputy said he's not available to talk.
WXII 12 News requested an autopsy report. We're still waiting for the details.
CHILDREN'S CENTER OF NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA:
Leaders of the Children's Center of Northwest North Carolina had released a statement.
Management said a child had unexpectedly passed away in their care.
"Our primary concern is always the health and safety of our children. Internal and official external investigations are currently in process to determine possible cause and to review all procedures. We ask for your prayers and support for the family, our staff, and our children. We will share further information as it becomes available," leaders wrote in the statement.
WXII 12 News reached out to the center to talk with management on Wednesday to get more details. Management said they were not allowed to answer questions because of the ongoing investigation, but they provided us with details about the center.
Andy Winemiller, who works at the center, said this is the first death at the facility since it first opened up in 1998.
He said the facility helps juveniles who have been neglected or are involved in the justice system.
However, Winemiller confirmed that the juvenile involved in this case had returned to the center from an approved visitation.
The organization has two facilities in Dobson and in Yadkinville.
The facility in Dobson can house up to nine children, ages six to 17.
He said some juveniles have stayed at their facilities for years, while some have stayed for a few days.
The organization offers resources to juveniles, including the following:
- Access to medical care
- Transportation
- Educational programs
- Life-skills classes
- Counseling
- Emotional and behavioral support
He said the state funds the facility.
FAMILY:
WXII 12 News talked with Antonio Brown, the father of the victim.
He said his son Jayden Brown, of Winston-Salem, was at the center for about several weeks.
Brown said management at the center had told his family that his son had died during his sleep, and it was an ongoing investigation.
The family held Jayden's funeral on Feb. 4.
During the service, Brown said the funeral home gave his family Jayden's last outfit that he wore. What Brown saw on his son's clothes, he said, did not align with what he had been told.
"Blood and throw up on the pillow. Clothes soaked in it. I mean, soaked in it. And for them to tell me my son died in his sleep. For me to think, okay he died peacefully. For me to get those clothes on the day of his funeral, while the funeral going on, to see all of that," he said.
"I didn’t get no peace of burying my son." He added, "Speaking my final moments (at the funeral), I didn’t get no peace because that’s when I was shown the clothes."
Brown said he and his family have been trying to get more answers since then, however, management at the center is no longer returning their calls.
"And that was it. Nothing else. Ain't nobody give us any information. Everybody been trying to call. Where his gold chain? Where is everything. We didn’t know he was vomiting blood or anything until we got his clothes," Brown said.
WXII 12 News reached out to the center to get management's response. But they said they declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation.
Jayden's grandmother, Clarice Jackson, said he loved his father and had been planning to move in with him.
Jackson told WXII 12 News that the center had responded to her Facebook comment.
"Their Facebook page, they replied that they were grieving. That the facility was grieving with the family. And a few minutes later, they deleted their response to me. They deleted their response to me, and deactivated their Facebook page."
WXII 12 News looked up the Children's Center of Northwest North Carolina's Facebook page on Google. After clicking on the link, the site said, "This content isn't available right now."