Connor Bennett
Connor Bennett was a 15-year-old boy from Mobile, Alabama, whose family said he cherished them and had a heart of gold; his obituary says his organ donation saved at least four other lives. He was held for about six months at Brighter Path Tuskegee, a youth psychiatric residential facility in Tuskegee, after the state Department of Human Resources took custody of him. His mother's wrongful death lawsuit says he was sexually and physically abused by other residents, that staff ignored his reports, and that he injured himself on April 5, 2022. He died six days later at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham, and the lawsuit claims his death was a suicide; the operator, Vivant Behavioral Healthcare, had no immediate legal response to the claims.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The mother's wrongful death lawsuit says the boy sustained self-inflicted injuries and that staff ignored his reports of sexual and physical abuse by other residents, and the facility did not respond to the claims.
Reported by: mother, in a wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); NBC News (reporters).
Lawsuit: His mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that other residents sexually and physically abused him and that staff ignored his reports at the Tuskegee youth psychiatric facility where he was held.