Name: Fantasia Franklin.
Died: December 17, 2013.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Suffocated during restraint.
Location: Florence, South Carolina, USA.
Details:
Fantasia had been living at the same assisted living center for twelve years. For most of the time her mother had had no complaints, but during the last two years of her life there had been multiple red flags, including one incident where Fantasia had been left alone at the facility while everyone else went out on a field trip.
Fantasia was held down, restrained in a Posey blanket with her chest compressed so that she couldn’t breathe. She suffocated. The death was ruled a homicide, but no one was prosecuted.
Fantasia’s mother, likely the one who gave her such a beautiful name, eventually won a $1 million settlement from the center.
Editor’s note: The Posey blanket used to restrain Fantasia is a device that holds a person’s arms crossed in front of them. If tightened, the device can cause asphyxia by chest compression, much like a straitjacket.
References:
Lawsuit settled in wrongful death case in Florence
Mother wants answers for child’s death at facility
Wrongful death lawsuit filed in death of autistic Florence woman
How Could You? Hall of Shame- Pee Dee Regional Center
Autism Memorial 