15-year-old girl dies in apparent suicide at Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center

A 15-year-old Bartow girl died in an apparent suicide at the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bradenton, officials said.

The girl was discovered unresponsive during a "10-minute check" by staff at the detention center on Sunday evening, according to a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice report. Staff began CPR immediately.

At 9:19 p.m., the Bradenton Police Department received a 911 call from staff at the facility. Paramedics and firefighters who responded along with police took over CPR. The girl was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital and at 10:03 p.m. she was pronounced dead.

The girl had initially been placed in a residential program as a result of a possession of drug paraphernalia charge, but she escaped the facility, according to police spokesman Lt. Brian Thiers. The DJJ was notified of the girl's escape from the Alachua Youth Academy on the morning of March 10, and she was apprehended shortly thereafter, according to DJJ spokeswoman Heather DiGiacomo.

Au autopsy was being conducted Monday by the Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death. Detectives believe the autopsy will confirm her death was a suicide and have not found any signs of foul play. Unless any signs of negligence are found, police said they will close their investigation.

An internal review of the juvenile justice department's actions is also being conducted to ensure policies and procedures were followed in the incident, according to DJJ.

"It is heartbreaking to learn of this unfortunate and sad tragedy, and we at DJJ send our heartfelt condolences to her family as we grieve with them," DiGiacomo said in a news release.

This story was originally published June 11, 2018 at 2:39 PM with the headline "15-year-old girl dies in apparent suicide at Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center."