JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (KSNW) – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation tells KSN that foul play is not suspected in the death of the 17-year-old boy at North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility in Junction City.
The director of the facility says KBI told him that they believe preliminary autopsy results indicate the teen had a pre-existing health condition.
But a KBI spokesperson said in a statement to KSN, “The autopsy report is pending as the coroner didn’t rule on either the cause or manner of death at the time of autopsy.
We do not suspect foul play in this case, however until toxicology and further testing returns and the final autopsy report is written we won’t have more information to release on his death. This usually takes around 6-12 weeks.”
KSN also contacted the Department for Children and Families, which said it doesn’t have more details to share at this moment.
In a statement to KSN, DCF said, “The Kansas Department for Children and Families does not have additional information to share at this time. The autopsy results are pending, awaiting the toxicology report.”
Upon completion of the KBI investigation, DCF Licensing will review and assess the facility for any regulatory violations, which is standard procedure when a death occurs at a DCF-licensed facility.
The director of the facility where the 17-year-old died said his team was not aware the child had a pre-existing medical condition. He added that a medical exam is done when a child enters the facility but didn’t give more specifics.
The teen’s identity is still not released.