A 16-year-old teenager at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice has died after a suicide attempt Monday at the Columbia-area detention center for the state’s juvenile offenders.
The teen, identified as Easley Jeffcoat by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, attempted suicide at 10:30 p.m. Monday at the Broad River Road campus’ Willow Lane Infirmary, DJJ said in a Thursday morning press release.
The 200-acre Broad River Road campus is DJJ’s long-term commitment facility.
DJJ said the teen was given CPR before EMS responded, and taken to a local hospital, where he died late Wednesday afternoon.
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said in a statement Thursday that she spoke directly to Jeffcoat’s mother, who wanted Rutherford to share a message: “He saved lives at the end of his life. We were able to donate both of his kidneys and his liver. He’s a hero to those families and to us. His life was not in vain. He did something good.”
The agency said counselors will be made available until noon today for DJJ employees.
“This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our prayers and condolences to the youth’s family and loved ones,” DJJ’s Executive Director Eden Hendrick said in a Thursday statement. “DJJ is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all youth entrusted to our care, and we will continue to fully investigate this tragic incident.”
SC Public Radio has reached out to DJJ for more information about the teen’s death.
In 2014, a 16-year-old teenager from Anderson County died by suicide in his dorm room at DJJ, media reported. The Post and Courier reported at the time that the teen was awaiting trial for a burglary charge, and was not being held in solitary confinement or under suicide watch. The newspaper reported three DJJ employees were suspended, and the State Law Enforcement Division was brought in to help investigate.
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