Criminal investigation launched after death of teenager in state facility

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Days after 8 On Your Side reported on the death of a teenager in state custody in Hillsborough County, a U.S. Senate report raises alarming concerns about patterns of behavior observed in the nation’s residential treatment centers.

The two-year investigation accuses the companies of putting profit above the welfare of children.

It is cases like the one at Lake Academy last month that have prompted youth rights activists to call for more oversight following deaths and incidents at facilities across the country.

With each passing day, Zy’kiria Bell’s death remains a mystery. The 17-year-old girl died on May 29 at Lake Academy, a state-run facility in Tampa. Facilities like this are responsible for caring for our most vulnerable youth.

“We don’t know what happened, we don’t know how it happened. We know she is not suicidal and she has a loving family,” said Elita Bludsaw, Zy’kiria Bell’s aunt.

8 On Your Side has learned that the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has opened a criminal investigation into Zy’kiria’s death. This happened after the juvenile court took down the website. With very few answers from state officials, Investigator Brittany Muller sat down with state Rep. Dianne Hart.

“I spoke to Secretary Hall,” Hart said. “He told me the program was discontinued and the provider lost its contract.”

The provider was TrueCore Behavioral Solutions. This week, the DJJ announced it had terminated TrueCore’s $31.5 million contract for Lake Academy. State records show that TrueCore was founded in Virginia in 1996 but is now headquartered in Tampa. The state first contracted with TrueCore to operate Lake Academy in 2022. That $31.5 million contract was set to expire in 2027, but state officials decided to terminate the contract early.

TrueCore has not responded to 8 On Your Side’s numerous requests for information.

“In the meantime, they are working to get all the children to safe places so this doesn’t happen again,” Hart said.

Zykiria’s death raises concerns about what is happening at centers like Lake Academy. A two-year investigation documented abuse and assault, in some cases resulting in death, according to a report by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.

While TrueCore was not among the companies named in the report, the investigation found that residential treatment centers run by some of America’s largest mental health companies put children at risk of sexual abuse, physical restraint and overmedication, and are often understaffed.

“I wish I could say I found it shocking, but I didn’t,” said Heather Tager, senior attorney at the L. David Shear Children’s Law Center at Bay Area Legal Services. “But the message I want to convey to the children who end up in these facilities is that they have rights and they need to talk to a trusted adult.”

Tager said 10 percent of her clients are children in treatment centers. She hears about the horrors firsthand.

“I’ve seen children taking many different psychiatric drugs without proper screening, and I hate to say it, but I really believe this is becoming a big business,” she said. “It’s about economics, money over the welfare of the child.”

The report argues that treatment centers put profits above child safety. In some cases, facilities receive more than $1,200 per day per child from Medicaid.

“If so much money is being put into these treatment centers, we need to know if it’s working,” Tager said.

If that doesn’t work, Tager says the funds need to be channeled into quality services, support and prevention. What is currently happening is unacceptable, she says.

“Until we find the root cause, we’re just going to put Band-Aids on these problems,” she said. “We’re not going to solve anything.”

Although TrueCore was not mentioned in the Senate report, Zy’kiria Bell’s family believes the state failed them by placing her in the company’s care.

“She is still a child and deserves more respect and better care,” said Bludsaw.

When 8 On Your Side asked the Department of Children and Families about Zy’kiria Bell’s death, the department said it investigates all allegations of abuse, neglect or abandonment but declined to comment further.