BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP, MI — A teen’s recent suicide inside a secured youth detention facility in Saginaw County is under investigation.

The 14-year-old girl’s death occurred Oct. 14 within Wolverine Secure Treatment Center at 2424 N. Outer Drive in Buena Vista Township, police confirmed. They declined to release additional details.

“During routine evening wellness checks, a client was discovered unresponsive,” said Paul Whitney, vice president of residential programs for Wolverine Human Services.

Emergency personnel were notified right away and unsuccessful attempts were made to revive the girl, Whitney said.

Police conducted an investigation and have concluded it. They and center staff determined the teen died by suicide.

Whitney said an internal investigation is underway within Wolverine, with policies and procedures examined to prevent such an incident from happening again.

Based in Grosse Pointe Park, Wolverine Human Services is a private nonprofit social services agency for children. Its Buena Vista Township site is a 100-bed treatment facility for males and females, with clients coming from the child welfare system and the Department of Health and Human Services. Its residents range in age from 12 to 19, with most in their middle teens, Whitney said.

The Buena Vista Township facility opened in 1997 as the first privately owned secure detention facility for juveniles in the state. This is the first suicide of a resident to occur there, Whitney said.

In the immediate aftermath of the death, staff brought in grief counselors for the juveniles and personnel, Whitney said. He added that Wolverine’s employees hearts go out to the teen’s family, with whom they’ve been in contact.