Mother Says Her 17-Year-Old Daughter Died After Being Body-Slammed For Not Removing Clothes In Front Of Male Counselors At Youth Villages

The mother of a 17-year-old girl says that her daughter is now dead after being in the care of Youth Villages, in Memphis, Tennessee, for two months.

The mother said that the non-profit didn’t protect her daughter, Alegend Jones, while she was there to get help. However, Youth Villages denies those claims.

After being giving little information regarding her daughter’s death, Shona Garner has hired lawyer Ben Crump. Garner was told that an incident happened on Thursday, November 16, at the Youth Villages facility, that involved two male counselors.

Crump says that Jones was instructed to take off her clothes while she was at the health department. But, she didn’t want to remove her clothes in the presence of the two male counselors. It is noted that Alegend was a sexual assault survivor and was diagnosed with PTSD, manic depression, and bipolar disorder.

Garner says that authorities were contacted after she was told that Jones was body-slammed for refusing to undress.

An ICU doctor informed Garner that her daughter had been unresponsive, with no pulse for 45 minutes, at Youth Villages before being taken to a medical facility.

Youth Villages has released a statement, saying that Jones never experienced any abuse at their facility and wasn’t asked to undress in front of any male counselors. They state that Alegend died because of a medical emergency. The organization added that they provide trauma-informed, intensive therapy and care to youth with mental and behavioral challenges.

But, Garner says that Youth Villages is responsible for her daughter’s death and wants justice for her daughter.

Crump says that Alegend died from a brain bleed, but it isn’t known if her autopsy has been completed.