Video: Girl hangs herself at children's group home

Larger screen

SEATTLE – A teenage girl hanged herself at a children's home while she was supposed to be on constant suicide watch.

But employees left the girl alone for 11 hours and then tried to cover it up.

The McGraw Center cares for some of Washington State's most disturbed children – teens grappling with severe emotional problems and mental illness.

On the night of January 28, eight children were on suicide watch at the residential center run by Seattle Children's Home.

Yet, a 15-year-old girl hanged herself in her room and it wasn't discovered for hours.

"I think the only thing we can say is that we are deeply saddened, we deeply regret, we are so very sorry," said Gena Palm, Executive Director, Seattle Children's Home.

Children on suicide watch are supposed to be checked on every 5 minutes. Yet, three different staff members failed to do it.

The Department of Social & Health Services calls it a clear case of negligence.

"They should have opened the door to make sure they could see her on each one of those 5-minute checks," said Jeanne McShane, Department of Social and Health Services.

Byron: And yet your investigation revealed that no one even saw her.

McShane: No one had eyes on that child.

Byron: For how long?

McShane: We estimate about 11 hours.

According to internal documents obtained by the KING 5 Investigators, two counselors filled out logs saying the checks had been made.

But they lied, one later admitting: "I didn't check her at all." Another said "The 5-minute checks were BS," and acknowledging "presigning the monitor logs" for checks that were never done.

Byron: She was supposed to be checked every 5 minutes.

Palm: Correct.

Byron: Those logs were falsified.

Palm: Correct.

Byron: People didn't see her.

Palm: That's what the investigations indicated.

Byron:  She might be alive if they had.

Palm: She might.

There were warning signs that the girl was at risk. Her case file notes "significant mental health history" and 18 prior suicide attempts.

And the logs claim that checks were done and the girl was safe – even at the time she was taking her own life.

The three staff members involved were fired.

The Seattle Children's Home has already made a number of major changes in this residential facility. Teens now sleep with their doors open. Staffing and training have been increased, and supervisors are now dropping in unannounced to check on staff 24 hours a day.

The three staff members who were found negligent will no longer be allowed to work as counselors or to care for children in the State of Washington.