A transgender girl who was imprisoned at the request of Connecticut child services has escaped from custody, state officials told the Associated Press.
The teenager, identified only as "Jane Doe," escaped Tuesday during what was supposed to be her first day of therapy at a Connecticut facility for delinquent boys. She was placed under court-ordered imprisonment in April after the Department of Children and Families said she was too violent.
"We are hopeful we can quickly find her so that we can continue to engage her in the treatment programs that can help her heal from the many traumas she has experienced," DCF told the AP.
Jane Doe experienced years of suffering as a child, marked by sexual abuse and being shuffled from hospital to hospital to be treated for several mental health issues, the teen's lawyer told the AP.
A judge ordered her imprisonment in April, which sparked outrage from advocates who said the transgender teen was being treated like a criminal when no charges were brought. She has been shuffled from facility to facility since then.
She arrived at the York Correctional Institution in East Lyme in May. By June, however, she was moved to another center after advocates accused York of crippling her mental state by placing her in solitary confinement.
DCF said Jane Doe was never placed in solitary confinement, the AP reported.
Next she was moved to the DCF-run Albert J. Solnit Children's Psychiatric Center in Middletown. She was there for a few weeks when she was accused of assaulting a minor and staff member.
By July she was moved to the juvenile facility for boys where she has remained until her escape on Tuesday.
