Police and administrators at the Brattleboro Retreat are investigating the apparent suicide Friday night of a 13-year-old girl who was under the care of the psychiatric hospital’s adolescent residential program. A brief statement released by the Retreat over the weekend reads:

“It is with great sadness that we report the tragic death of a 13-year-old female who took her life Friday evening, January 3. The individual was receiving care in one of the Brattleboro Retreat’s residential homes adjacent to the Retreat’s main campus. The family was notified immediately and the Retreat is now working with the appropriate authorities and agencies to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of this incident.  As we proceed with the investigation, our prayers and thoughts go out to this young person’s family and loved ones.”

Hospital administrators were not available Monday morning to comment further, as all were in a meeting to discuss the incident and Brattleboro Police said only that the investigation is ongoing. The Brattleboro Reformer reported Monday morning that the girl had been living at the Retreat since November but was not a patient in the state’s acute psychiatric unit. Her name and hometown have not been made public.

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Staff Writer Ken Picard is a senior staff writer at Seven Days. A Long Island, N.Y., native who moved to Vermont from Missoula, Mont., he was hired in 2002 as Seven Days’ first staff writer, to help create a news department. Ken has since won numerous...

8 replies on “Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Takes Her Own Life at Brattleboro Retreat”

  1. Brattleboro Retreat has failed my family with gross negligence two years back(listed above). My son lost his father who was seeking psychiatric and substance abuse treatment at the Retreat. Medications were not kept on lock down, Nurses/Staff did not check on him properly and he died due to lack of proper care, etc.. They also did not report the case properly because they wanted to get funding. The place should be shut down. My thoughts are with the family of the patient that passed. The Retreat is a disgrace.

  2. i went there long time ago, 10-12 years ago, i was not impressed, they did NOT help me but tourtured me in a way i almost died there from them giving me the wrong meds..

  7. I was there in December in the residential treatment program. I lived in the ajoining houses like that girl had. I was there for a short time as I was signed out of treatment against medical advice by my mother. It’s hard to believe that I may have known that girl that has now passed. However the treatment I saw given to some of the girls and the way the staff handled themselves was not good. The houses you live in aren’t in the best shape either but that’s more understandable. The treatment I had witnessed while there was enough to convince me to sign out right away. If and when I ever have children and they happen to have mental illnesses like me I will never send my child there.

  8. I was there back in 1994. I was on Tyler Three, the adolescent unit. If not for the camaraderie with the other kids my depression would’ve gotten even worse. I met two staff members who actually gave a crap. Everyone else was aloof or just wanted the kids medicated. Notice how you NEVER see video or photos of that unit online? Hmmmmm.

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