PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ — Her name is Melissa Catalano. Officially M.C. in a recently filed lawsuit.
“It has taken a lot of time for me to understand that I didn’t deserve this,” she said. “It’s taken a lot of strength for me to come forward.”
She was 15 years old when she was sent to an all-girl behavioral health facility for troubled teens located in the mountains of Prescott Valley, according to the lawsuit.
“They would brag about what they would do to me,” she said.
Catalano is now one of 13 alleged victims who claim they were sexually assaulted or abused by staff at Mingus Mountain Academy, in the 55-page complaint.
“They were supposed to help me there and they didn’t,” she said while holding back tears.
The lawsuit describes what happened to the 13 alleged victims as “unspeakable horrors,” “horrific sexual abuse,” and the facility as “a venue for employee-abusers.”
“It’s hard to even talk about it,” Catalano said. “It’s been a lot of pain that I’ve had to live for a really long time.”
ABC15 has previously reported on Mingus Mountain Academy’s history of fines and violations.
Catalano’s story of alleged abuse
Catalano said she grew up in Arizona’s foster care system and bounced from home to home and family to family.
Her story at Mingus Mountain Academy began in 2017, according to the lawsuit.
“I begged my caseworker not to send me there. And they sent me anyways,” Catalano said.
And what she said happened at the facility forever changed her.
According to the lawsuit, “staff members would be assigned as ‘shadows’ to the residents.” Melissa said her shadow was one of the male employees.
“I was on his shadow most often. He would say I was his favorite,” she said.
And the lawsuit says, “Residents were required to always follow their assigned ‘shadow’.”
“When all the other girls were upstairs. He would take me down to the showers, and he’d make me undress,” she said. “And he’d rape me. And he told me that I deserve it because I was just a foster kid.”
In the lawsuit, Catalano claims she was sexually assaulted by the same staff member “approximately 80 times,” during her one-year stay at Mingus.
“He would tell me I’m worthless, that I’m never going to get out of Mingus,” she said.
And it wasn’t just one staff member. According to the lawsuit, Catalano said on multiple occasions two other staff members would join in.
“And they drove me outside. They took turns molesting me in the snow,” she said.
According to the lawsuit, staff took her “away from cameras, where they would throw her in the snow and forcefully restrain her with their body weight.”
“I kept reporting the abuse over and over,” Catalano said.
Ashley Crowell is one of the attorneys representing her and the other women in the lawsuit who say they were victims.
“The remote nature of the facility itself lends itself to keeping the secrecy of what is happening at Mingus,” Crowell said.
Crowell described the lawsuit involving the 13 alleged female victims as a case of neglect and physical and sexual abuse that has been ongoing and occurring for years.
The lawsuit alleges the sexual assaults or abuse happened at different times from 2011 to 2022.
“The individuals that are sent to Mingus are the most vulnerable of our population, and they are told repeatedly that no one will believe you,” Crowell said.
According to the lawsuit, when Catalano “attempted to report the sexual assaults” to a supervisor she was told to, “‘shut up’ or she would be unable to go home.”
“I want any other girl out there to know. And I for myself, that you are strong. I am a survivor and there are people that do care. There are people that will help,” Catalano said.
Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center’s response
In a statement to ABC15, Mingus Mountain said it does not tolerate misconduct or abuse.
The facility said patient privacy laws prevent it from discussing the unproven allegations in the lawsuit.
But said in the statement, “To date, we have seen no evidence to support these allegations. MMYTC and Vivant Behavioral Healthcare will vigorously defend in court our organization and the excellent care we provide.”
Officials with Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center provided a lengthy statement to ABC15. Read the statement in its entirety below or click here.
