VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A teenager in Vancouver, Washington died of starvation and neglect, according to the county medical examiner.
Vancouver police have been investigating the circumstances since Karreon R. Franks, 15, died at a local hospital in late November, The Columbian reported. No arrests or criminal accusations have been made in the case.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death has been ruled a homicide. The boy’s death was announced by the medical examiner, but at that time the manner and cause of death had not been determined.
Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp previously told The Columbian that police were investigating a death with suspicious circumstances related to the report.
“We were notified by the hospital and medical examiner that a 15-year-old patient had died. We opened an investigation,” Kapp said in an email Feb. 23. Police have not released any details of the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing.
