An 18-year-old housed at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar was found dead of an apparent drug overdose, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Those sources tell the I-Team, the teenager who lived in the Secure Youth Track Facility, which houses youth accused of more serious and violent crimes, was found Tuesday morning. The Los Angeles County Probation Department confirmed the death to the I-Team just before noon Tuesday.
The teen was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner as Bryan Diaz of Wilmington. The cause of death is pending.
The death comes on the heels of an Office of Inspector General report in April which detailed at least three overdose incidents at Barry J. Nidorf this year.
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According to the report, at least two youth were taken to local medical facilities and/or were revived by Narcan after overdoses connected to the synthetic opioid, Fentanyl. Fentanyl pills also found inside the dorms and youth's rooms.
Los Angeles County's juvenile halls have been under intense scrutiny over the past year. The California Board of State and Community Corrections has called the halls "unsuitable" following numerous inspections. The BSCC fell short last month of closing down the halls, giving the County and the LA County Department of Probation time to comply with state guidelines.
In addition, the California Department of Justice went to court to request judicial intervention accusing the County of not following through with a 2021 settlement to fix the conditions at the juvenile halls.
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At a hearing Tuesday, LA Superior Court Judge Michael Linfield ordered the County to comply with correcting conditions at Barry J. Nidorf and Central Juvenile halls including but not limited to use of force incidents and the use of pepper spray. The judge ruled the parties, the California Department of Justice and Los Angeles County, will have 30 days to discuss meeting compliance deadlines or the court could intervene further.
Guillermo Viera Rosa, Chief Strategist for Juvenile Operations for the LA County Probation Department tells the I-Team in an emailed statement :
"The LA County Probation Department is heartbroken to confirm that a young adult was found dead this morning at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. Our nursing staff immediately administered emergency services, including the use of Narcan. We have notified the family and will cooperate fully with law enforcement on a thorough investigation of the incident. We have also dispatched peer support personnel and mental health professionals to the facility for crisis counseling of youth and our staff. In the meantime, I want to convey our most profound condolences to the youth's family."
