LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County Coroner's Office has released the cause and manner of death for a 7-year-old who died while in state care.

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Brooklawn Child and Family Services location off Goldsmith Lane and Bardstown Road in Louisville, Kentucky (WDRB photo)

The coroner's office said Ja'Ceon Terry died at Norton Children's Hospital on July 17, 2022. The cause of death was positional asphyxia and the manner of death was homicide.

Positional asphyxia occurs when someone's body position interferes with their ability to breathe, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Terry was rushed to the hospital from the Brooklawn Child and Family Services location off Goldsmith Lane and Bardstown Road.

The Louisville Metro Police Department initially said it was conducting a death investigation.

Brooklawn Child and Family Services released the following statement Thursday evening after the coroner's notification:

"We are completely devastated by the unspeakable loss of a child in our care, Ja’Ceon Terry. He should not have died on our watch. As protectors of Kentucky’s most vulnerable children, we are dedicated to making sure it never happens again. The health and safety of the Brooklawn family is always our top priority.

We work every day to save young lives and help families in crisis. When we accept responsibility for caring for children, we commit to doing everything possible to keep them from harm.

The coroner’s report was released today. We are still searching for answers to the many questions about what happened on that Sunday afternoon. The leadership of Brooklawn will continue cooperating with state and local officials investigating this tragedy.

We have redoubled our efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of every child. Since July 17, we have taken the following actions:

  • Dismissed two staff members who were involved in the incident.
  • Increased training for staff members, who provide direct care for children, in deescalation and relationship-building strategies, which have been shown to reduce and prevent the need for holds.
  • Retraining staff on behavioral models and therapeutic approaches.
  • Increased consultation and coaching with staff on intervention strategies that
  • have been shown to create a collaborative and healing treatment environment.
  • Increased leadership presence and oversight in cottages to support staff and children.
  • Increased screening and assessments of all youth prior to admission.

We have persevered through tough times, and we will continue with the prayers and support of our community."

This story may be updated.

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