The mother of a 16-year-old South Boston girl who died while hiking in Utah last Sunday said her only daughter would be alive if the Outward Bound Wilderness program didn't allow her to hike alone.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's neglect," said Elisa Woods, the mother of Elisa Santry Woods, who later recalled the difficult pregnancy and premature birth of her daughter.
"She was my miracle," she said, "but now she is gone."
As the family gathers for Santry's funeral today, Outward Bound Wilderness released new information on the fatal hike, and a Utah state regulator of youth programs raised questions about the group's operating procedures.
Santry was found dead at 11 p.m. last Sunday, on the 16th day of a 22-day backpacking and rafting expedition, in a rugged desert, a quarter-mile from Canyonlands National Park. She had been missing for five hours in 110-degree heat, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office.
For large chunks of time that Sunday, instructors of Outward Bound Wilderness allowed students to hike without adult supervision, sometimes alone, said Mickey Freeman, the organization's president. He said it's not uncommon for teenagers to hike by themselves, noting that the program is designed to teach responsibility, confidence and self-reliance.
"We are mourning with the mother for this situation, but it would be complete speculation on what may or may not have saved her daughter's life," he said. "Something went wrong. We don't know what. We want to find out as much as the family does."
Santry was an outstanding student at a city exam school, the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, and was a well-liked cashier at Sullivan's eatery on Castle Island. She believed the trip West would provide her with an opportunity to conquer her shyness and build new relationships. She was awarded a full scholarship for the trip by Summer Search, a program that helps low-income high school students and provides them with a counselor.
The Utah Medical Examiner's Office hasn't determined a cause of death. Autopsy results will be complete in four to eight weeks. Outward Bound Wilderness has cast doubts on dehydration as a factor. The organization said her body was discovered with a bottle one-fifth full of water, food such as raisins and nuts, and two packets of electrolyte powder, which can be helpful in high temperatures.
Elisa Woods, who traveled to Utah last week, said in a telephone interview Friday night that she heard from an instructor that her daughter was not feeling well the morning of the hike, and instructors said she could stay behind at the camp or go with the group.
"They noticed she didn't eat much," Woods said. "They shouldn't have given her the option to go. She's a 16-year-old child."
Freeman said he had no information about Santry not feeling well. He said the girl, who was tall and thin, requested the group stop at least once during the hike, but when the program director visited the group at 2 p.m., they all said they were OK. Freeman said the group was traveling leisurely, about 50 minutes a mile, and took many breaks.
The five teens Santry was hiking with that day last remember seeing her when the group took a break at 4:45 p.m., according to new information from an internal investigation by Outward Bound Wilderness. After the break, the group split up. They still had 1.25 miles before reaching their destination at the Colorado River in the Canyonlands National Park, where an instructor waited. Four teens traveled ahead of Santry, while the fifth lagged behind Santry.
The four teens who reached the river first have given conflicting reports to Outward Bound Wilderness about whether Santry eventually caught up to them. Everyone realized that Santry was missing when the last girl, who lagged behind Santry, arrived at the river with an instructor at 6 p.m.
Outward Bound conducted a search, tapping four instructors trained in first aid and search and rescue skills. They didn't call the sheriff's office or the National Park Service until they found Santry's body five hours later.
The Sheriff's Office said in a press release that Santry was waiting for another hiker before she got lost, but Outward Bound Wilderness officials are not convinced that is true.
Hiking in temperatures above 90 degrees and allowing youth to travel alone goes against Utah state regulations for wilderness programs that troubled youth are mandated to attend. But those regulations don't apply to Outward Bound Wilderness because it's a voluntary program open to all youth, said Ken Stettler, director of the Office of Licensing for the Utah Department of Human Services.