December 13, 2005
New York,
NY - The 14-year-old Amityville
girl who died while being escorted to a 'time out' room at a
Tennessee
home for troubled children in September apparently died
of cardiac arrest, according to law enforcement officials and
attorneys familiar with the autopsy findings.
But despite the autopsy results,
the family of Linda Harris has filed a notice of claim in a
wrongful death lawsuit against Suffolk County, which placed her
at the Chad Youth Enhancement Center in Ashland City,
Tennessee, and the State of New
York, which oversees the placements. They said unanswered
questions remain about what led to the death. The suit will
allege negligence and seeks damages for pain and suffering, said
the Harris family attorney.
'It's hard to move on until we
find some real answers,' said her brother, Reggie Harris of
Amityville, questioning what exactly happened in the moments
leading up to his sister's death. Harris weighed more than 300
pounds at the time, and the autopsy cited obesity as a
contributing factor in her death. But her family said she was
very active, rode her bike and would often run around without
getting winded, and questioned how she could have had cardiac
arrest.
At the time of her death, Linda
Harris was having an emotional outburst at the center where she
had resided less than a week, according to workers. 'There are a
lot of unanswered questions,' said Siben, adding that he has yet
to get a copy of the official report from the Nashville medical
examiner, nor an official death certificate. The medical
examiner's office did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Tennessee law enforcement
officials would say only that 'It appears to have been a
terrible accident,' said Ted Denny, a spokesman for the
Montgomery County Sheriff's Department in Tennessee. His agency
had been investigating whether Harris, who, according to family
members and records, had a history of emotional problems, had
been improperly restrained by workers during her outburst. He
declined to comment further on whether any charges would be
brought.
Suffolk County officials declined
to comment on the notice of claim. The county's probation
department, which places children at the center at the order of
Family Court, has since removed all other children. The county
has paid the center nearly $800,000 since 2002. Brian Marchetti,
a spokesman for the New York State Office of Children of Family
Services, said he was unaware of any lawsuit but emphasized that
the office takes child fatalities 'extremely seriously.'
