No criminal charges filed after investigation into girl's death at Lakeland boarding school

Naomi Wood was 17-years-old and living in a boarding school for girls in Lakeland when she started having chronic stomach pains. She reportedly told the staff at Lakeland Girls Academy she needed to see a doctor, but she was given over-the-counter medication, soup, and – per the school's internal policies – prayers instead. 

On May 19, 2020. Naomi collapsed and later died. A medical examiner said her death was due to natural causes and an autopsy also listed a seizure disorder. 

More than a year after Naomi's death, the Polk County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation – on the heels of a Department of Children and Families report which found that at the time of Naomi's death, the facility did not have appropriate protocols in place to address medical emergencies or regular care with physicians. DCF also found inadequate supervision and medical neglect by two specific caregivers.

PREVIOUS: Girl dies after being denied treatment for stomach pain while living at Lakeland children's home

The state attorney's office says it has reviewed the DCF report and the sheriff's office investigation and has concluded charges will not be filed in the case.

Naomi's death and the DCF report

According to DCF's report, Naomi was physically ill and vomiting throughout the day and night of May 18, 2020. The next day, she was found unresponsive in her room. CPR was performed until EMS arrived, but she died while on the way to Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

A medical consultation was completed by Dr. Carol Lilly, medical director for Florida’s Child Protection Team. She noted in her report that the child’s death was "consistent with delay in seeking care and medical neglect." 

Naomi's death wasn’t the only issue Dr. Lilly found at the Lakeland Girls Academy. The final case summary from the Child Protection Team noted Lilly’s concerns related to the management of mental health issues within the academy. 

PREVIOUS: Roommate of girl who died at Lakeland boarding school says medical requests were not taken seriously

Dr. Lilly was not able to find any documentation that the child was receiving any mental health services, but roommates described Naomi as being anxious, depressed, and having nightmares. The DCF report indicated Naomi had been sexually abused in the past.

Instead of mental health treatment, Dr. Lilly found the academy was using the practice of shunning, or not allowing others to speak to the child, which Lilly said was not recommended. 

"For a child with reported past sexual abuse, depressive and anxious symptoms, this type of discipline is not recommended. A coping strategy for these concerns involves talking to others, not excluding them from contact with others," Lilly's report said.

Some former residents were not surprised

While Naomi's death was ruled to be from natural causes, there were concerns from other residents and staff members regarding the lack of medical care she received. 

Formers students who spoke with FOX 13 describe an environment where they were shunned and isolated.

"There were instances where I needed to see a doctor and it was something I requested the first month of my program. And it was not something that was respected till the 16th month of my program," former student Reilly O'Brien said.

O'Brien remembers witnessing a staff member put their hands on a student after she broke a rule.

"The director of the program at the time flipped a table in the dining room in front of all the girls and grabbed her by her shirt collar and pulled her out of the room," O'Brien said.

Grace Coburn, another former resident at Lakeland Girls Academy, said the staff's apparent refusal to take Naomi to a medical doctor was not surprising.

"We would ask to see a doctor and if they didn’t think it was absolutely necessary, we would not be able to see a doctor," Coburn told FOX 13 News in June. "We had no way of calling anyone on our own to get help for ourselves. All our abilities to access the outside world were completely taken away from us."

Coburn also said phone calls home to her parents were monitored.

"It's traumatizing. It's something that I would not wish upon my worst enemy," Coburn said.

However, one of her former roommates said Naomi's smile sometimes masked how she really felt.

"We didn’t know that she was sick. She had like a façade of happy all the time," Ana Lucia Durfee told FOX 13 News.

Durfee, the last person to see Naomi alive, also said denial of medical care for students was common. 

"If it was like, we needed to see a doctor, you pretty much knew you were not going to. You could fill out requests but you just kinda automatically knew it was not going to happen," Durfee said. "They thought the medical attention was used to get attention or a way to get out of the program, so that’s why they hesitated to take us anywhere."

Former students say they want to see the school held responsible for Wood's death.

"The fact that they gave her soup and told her that they were going to pray for her. That's not right," Coburn said.

Academy practices and policies

The Lakeland Girls Academy describes itself as a therapeutic boarding school for girls aged 13-17 who struggle with rebellion, defiance, academics, substance abuse, and other life-controlling issues. 

Since the death, the director of the academy told investigators that they have updated their policies, procedures and created a new position of medical coordinator, which will be responsible for assessing medical issues before admission to the school. At the time of the report, the director’s wife was currently filling that position while they search for a permanent employee. 

Naomi's parents brought her to Florida from Vermont in February 2020 and enrolled her in the academy.

In June, her parents refused an interview but wrote on the website of their business, "We are so grateful for the staff and the love they gave Naomi in her short time there, and we were excited for the direction she was finding for herself."

FOX 13 reached out to the school Tuesday, but those calls went unanswered. An attorney for Naomi Wood's family declined to comment.