by ANDREW R. JONES
May 7, 2025

A 14-year-old died by suicide Saturday at a Weaverville residential treatment program for girls owned by the same company that ran a Transylvania County youth camp where a 12-year-old boy died in 2024.

The death occurred at Asheville Academy, which serves 10- to 18-year olds, according to a Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office report.

The death was reported at 4:33 p.m. Saturday, according to the report, which provided few details. It did note that “personal weapons” were used.

BCSO and EMS responded to the scene. Weaverville police officers arrived to assist, but turned around when they saw BCSO on the scene, according to the Weaverville Police Department.

BCSO spokesperson Matthew Marshall said it is conducting an ongoing investigation.

A public relations company speaking on behalf of Asheville Academy sent a statement to Asheville Watchdog on Wednesday.

“It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of a client to suicide,” the statement said. “This is a heartbreaking loss, and our deepest condolences are with her family, loved ones, and all who knew her. This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the serious challenges many young people face, and the ongoing need for compassion, connection, and early access to mental health support.

“We are committed to supporting our community with professionalism, empathy, and care. Third-party crisis counselors were on campus to support our clients, families, and staff. We ask that the media respect the family’s privacy and allow space for our community to grieve and heal.”

Asheville Academy Executive Director Shawn Farrell did not respond to a voicemail and text message. Neither Family Help & Wellness nor Asheville Academy responded to a detailed list of questions about circumstances surrounding the suicide.

Asheville Academy is owned by Salem, Oregon-based Family Help & Wellness, which currently has 15 mental health programs, mainly in Utah.

As of mid-March, Asheville Academy had 27 clients and was licensed for 90, according to North Carolina Division of Health Services Regulation records. // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego
The death comes 15 months after a 12-year-old boy died at Trails Carolina, a therapeutic treatment camp in Lake Toxaway owned by Family Help & Wellness. Campers were removed from the program days after the death, the camp’s license was revoked, and the program has been shuttered.

An investigation found that “Clark Harman’s death was the result of suffocation, which, while tragic, did not involve criminal intent or recklessness sufficient to warrant criminal charges for involuntary manslaughter under the law,” according to a November 2024 statement from Western North Carolina District Attorney Andrew Murray.

Trails Carolina faced multiple lawsuits years before Harman’s death, which was the second there in 10 years.

As of mid-March, Asheville Academy had 27 clients and was licensed for 90, according to North Carolina Division of Health Services Regulation records.

The NCDHHS said it had visited Asheville Academy in March for an inspection and found no deficiencies.

DHSR inspections in 2020, 2021 and 2022 found that Asheville Academy failed to develop treatment strategies for multiple clients; failed to report allegations of abuse to appropriate authorities; failed to properly train staff in restrictive interventions; and failed to ensure clients had the right to communicate and consult with legal guardians, among other issues.

Asheville Academy issued a plan of correction for 2020, in which former director Kyle Gillett wrote that the program had put employees through additional training, and policies around record keeping had been updated.

“Auditing will continue per above plans until substantial compliance is met and maintained as directed by the Governing Body,” Gillett wrote.

According to state business records, Asheville Academy was created as Asheville Academy for Girls in late 2011.

The program recently underwent a flurry of rebranding, merging and reorganizing, according to state records and archived webpages.

It once shared a campus with Solstice East, another Family Help & Wellness Organization, according to webpages archived on the Wayback Machine and images from 2013 on Google Maps. According to state inspection records, Solstice evolved into Magnolia Mill School between 2022 and 2024 and then appears to have transformed into Asheville Academy: Websites formerly addressed to Magnolia Mill now lead directly to Asheville Academy, though all mention of both Solstice and Magnolia Mill has been erased from the Asheville Academy website.

In DHSR’s most recent report on Asheville Academy, it still calls the program “Magnolia Mill School,” even though archived inspections are on the agency’s Asheville Academy page.

Farrell became executive director of Magnolia Mill School in early 2024, according to an announcement posted on allkindsoftherapy.com.

[An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the owner of the property where Asheville Academy is located. That reference has been removed from the story.]

[Editor’s note: If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In addition, Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.]

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Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

Original article

The post 14-year-old dies by suicide at Weaverville mental health program run by owner of shuttered Trails Carolina • Asheville Watchdog appeared first on avlwatchdog.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article provides a factual report on a recent suicide at Asheville Academy and its connection to a prior death at another facility owned by the same company. The coverage focuses on the tragic incident, including statements from the public relations firm and the ongoing investigation. The content remains neutral, simply reporting on the facts without any evident ideological stance or advocacy. The mention of the previous death at Trails Carolina and the organization’s history of inspections may be seen as highlighting concerns but does not carry an overt political or partisan bias, keeping the tone objective and factual.