MESA, Ariz. — ABC15 is looking into what led up to the deaths of two teenage girls who were reported as runaways from a Mesa group home in early January.
Under state law, group homes and related facilities are limited in what they can and can’t do.
In this case, the group home the teens were in could not force them to stay even after they heard they had plans to run away.
Brad Miller is an attorney for Powerhouse Youth Facility Inc., which operates several group homes, including the one where 17-year-old Sitlalli Avelar and 15-year-old Kamryn Meyers were staying at.
“They’re not allowed to lock these children in these facilities. So, oftentimes, the children are free to leave,” Miller told ABC15.
Miller says the teens came to the group home because they had run away from previous group homes. Miller says one teen had been at the Mesa group home for about a month, and the other teen had been there for about two months before they ran away.
On January 6th, the day before both teens left, Miller says the staff had some information the children were planning to leave.
“Immediately the staff followed their standard operating procedure and encouraged these girls to stay. But in the end, they chose not to stay, and then of course immediately the staff went into action, called the DCS hotline, they called the case workers. They filed the incident report,” Miller told ABC15.
Powerhouse Youth Facility has been operating for 12 years.
Miller says the group home where the teens were staying opened in November 2022, adding there have been no complaints to the Arizona Department of Child Safety at the location the teens were in. Though, that hasn’t been the case for all Powerhouse Youth Facility group homes.
“Powerhouse ran into some issues in 2016. There were some allegations that the youth facility wasn’t running appropriately or following state law, but DCS went through a full investigation regarding the facility and cleared them of everything,” Miller said.
While Miller says the group home staff did everything they legally could, Anika Robinson, an advocate for foster families, says more can and should be done to find missing foster youth before it’s too late.
“They’re vulnerable children and as a community, it shouldn’t have been the first time we heard about them when their bodies were found. We should have been looking for them. We should have been given the opportunity to look for them,” said Robinson.
Robinson is the President of ASA Now, a non-profit that helps foster families and foster kids. She tells ABC15, one of the two teens found dead in the water basin was served through ASA Now, at Jacob’s Mission Community Center.
Hearing the news further motivates her to do her part, adding more can and should be done to find missing foster youth before it’s too late.
Robinson tells ABC15 she is currently working with a state legislator to pass a law that would help get the word out faster when foster youth disappear.
“I do feel like there needs to be legislative changes, with some teeth behind it, some deliverables behind it, to ensure that for each and every child that goes missing that there are procedures that are being followed and adhered to. And I hope the community will stand behind us in passing this piece of legislation, this legislative session.”
Ultimately, she wants to help prevent foster youth, like Avelar and Meyers, from becoming another statistic.
Police say the teens were reported as missing runaways from their group home on Jan. 7, 2023. Their bodies were found two weeks later.
“This is the perfect opportunity to show that these girls did not die in vain. I feel like this is the time when we as a state can do better for these children and changes are needed,” said Robinson.
Mesa police are still investigating how the teens died and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
