Texas Foster Care Horror: 11-Year-Old Dies After Staff Neglect

A horrifying death is exposing how the Texas foster care system is failing its children. In total, 65 kids have died since 2019 while in the state’s care; 16 of those deaths happened in just three months.

One of the most recent victims was an 11-year-old boy identified as O.R., whose final moments of life were spent suffering in pain while staff ignored his cries for help.

A FACILITY RIDDLED WITH ABUSE

Thompson’s Residential Treatment Center, the Greenville, Texas facility where O.R. died, had a disturbing history of abuse including staff organizing fights between children and placing bets on the winners. Investigators also found reports of sexual misconduct and excessive restraints so severe that children were hospitalized. Despite this, the facility stayed open for years.

STAFF PAINTS ONE PICTURE, VIDEO SHOWS ANOTHER...

O.R., who had autism and serious medical conditions, was placed in Thompson’s just two weeks before his death. Staff said he had seemed fine but video surveillance showed a different story.

During Thanksgiving week, O.R. complained of stomach pain but was forced to go on a movie outing. Surveillance footage showed him struggling to walk, urinating on himself, and appearing on the verge of collapse. He died in his theater seat. Staff still insisted he had been fine.

THE FACILITY'S PATTERN OF ABUSE

His death was part of a pattern of neglect. Between November 2, 2023, and February 5, 2024, 16 foster children in Texas lost their lives. Six of those deaths remain under investigation, some linked to abuse and medical neglect.

Even with its dark past, Thompson’s was granted a license for a second facility in Farmersville in 2020. That facility was later shut down amid abuse allegations. The owner, former NFL player Chaun Thompson, has not made a public statement.