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Children's Receiving Home Of Sacramento's Troubled History

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A 12-year-old girl is dead after being struck on Business 80 while trying to help a friend who ran onto the freeway.

Both girls had come from the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento nearby on Auburn Boulevard, which has a long history of problems.

The facility reportedly had more than 120 recent citations, according to reports published in 2017. But when CBS13 went to review those records on Thursday, they had been wiped clean from the state's website. Officials said that's because the facility was recently re-licensed last year. That means their records essentially started over.

But, even those recent records give some indication of how those girls managed to run away on Wednesday night.

Records reveal kids repeatedly left the home without permission, citing understaffing and staff sleeping on the job. In November, one resident brought someone back into the facility with them, and they were found in bed together. That resulted in the facility's first citation under its new license.

However, records show dozens of other concerning incidents. One child recently ended up in the emergency room when "staff failed to administer the correct medicine."

State inspectors report witnessing: cottages with mold, mildew, and broken windows; kids unsupervised in bathrooms and in bed together with the door closed; and other reports of inappropriate sexual activity.

A recurring issue appears to be kids leaving the facility without permission. The facility says they are not permitted to lock kids on campus, but the staff is required to follow them to persuade them to return, which they say they did Wednesday night.

As for the missing public records, the state says it's looking into why they have been removed and is working to get CBS13 copies.

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