1 dead, 2 hospitalized after possible drug overdose at Queen Creek school
Oct 4, 2022, 2:14 PM
Canyon State Academy (Google Street View)
(Google Street View)
PHOENIX – One student died and two others were hospitalized after a possible drug overdose Monday night at a residential school for at-risk boys in Queen Creek, authorities said.
The police and fire departments responded to a medical emergency at Canyon State Academy around 10:40 p.m. Monday, Constance Halonen‑Wilson, a spokeswoman for the southeast Valley town, told KTAR News 92.3 FM via email Tuesday.
Three students were taken to a hospital, where one of them, a 16-year-old, died. No information about the other boys’ condition was made available.
Halonen‑Wilson said police are investigating the incident as a possible overdose.
No other details about the case were released.
Canyon State Academy is located near Rittenhouse and Hawes roads, about 35 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix.
According to the school’s website, it “offers at-risk young men a least restrictive, staff-secure program to ensure public safety while promoting a normalized high school experience for its students.”
Rite of Passage, a Nevada-based therapeutic and educational youth program provider, operates the Queen Creek campus.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Taylor Kinnerup contributed to this report.
