Charlie Maze Knowles
Charles Maise Knowles, a 17-year-old held at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, Maine, died there on October 29, 2016, after being found hanging from a door in an isolation room. His mother, Michelle Knowles, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility and the former state corrections commissioner, and says staff did not follow mental health instructions while he was on suicide watch and that the suicide watch policy was inadequate. His attorney, Matthew Morgan, said the cell was not suicide resistant and called the death unnecessary and untimely. The Maine Attorney General's Office reviewed the death and concluded in a letter to the Department of Corrections that it was a suicide, with no evidence of bullying or mistreatment, and the Department of Corrections may continue its own investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The Maine Attorney General's Office concluded it was a suicide, and his mother's lawsuit says staff did not follow mental health instructions while he was on suicide watch and that the suicide watch policy was inadequate.
Reported by: Maine Attorney General's Office (outside investigators); Michelle Knowles, his mother, through her wrongful death lawsuit and attorney Matthew Morgan (family or their lawyers); news reporting on the Attorney General's letter to the Department of Corrections (reporters).
Lawsuit: His mother, Michelle Knowles, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Long Creek and the former Maine corrections commissioner, and no dollar amount has been reported.
Sources (5)
- Juvenile dies while in custody at Long Creek Youth Development Center
- Transgender Teen’s Suicide Raises Concerns About Youth Corrections Center
- Nothing 'suspicious' in transgender teen's death under state care, AG's office says
- Former Teen Inmate Alleges Abusive Conditions At Maine Youth Detention Center In 1990s
- Mother of Maine teen who died by suicide at Long Creek files wrongful death lawsuit