Santry was found dead at 11 p.m. last Sunday, on the 16th day of a 22-day backpacking and rafting expedition, in a rugged desert, a quarter-mile from Canyonlands National Park. She had been missing for five hours in 110-degree heat, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office.
For large chunks of time that Sunday, instructors of Outward Bound Wilderness allowed students to hike without adult supervision, sometimes alone, said Mickey Freeman, the organization's president. He said it's not uncommon for teenagers to hike by themselves, noting that the program is designed to teach responsibility, confidence, and self-reliance.
"We are mourning with the mother for this situation, but it would be complete speculation on what may or may not have saved her daughter's life," he said. "Something went wrong. We don't know what. We want to find out as much as the family does."
Santry was an outstanding student at a city exam school, the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury, and was a well-liked cashier at Sullivan's eatery on Castle Island. She believed the trip west would provide her with an opportunity to conquer her shyness and build new relationships. She was awarded a full scholarship to go by Summer Search, a program that helps low-income high school students and provides them with a counselor.
Summer Search could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The Utah Medical Examiner's Office hasn't determined a cause of death. Autopsy results will be complete in four to eight weeks. Outward Bound Wilderness has cast doubts on dehydration as a factor. The organization said her body was discovered with a bottle one-fifth full of water, food such as raisins and nuts, and two packets of electrolyte powder, which can be helpful in high temperatures.
Elisa Woods, who traveled to Utah last week, said in a telephone interview Friday night that she heard from an instructor that her daughter was not feeling well the morning of the hike and instructors said she could stay behind at the camp or go with the group.
"They noticed she didn't eat much," Woods said. "They shouldn't have given her the option to go. She's a 16-year-old child."
Freeman said he had no information about Santry not feeling well. He said the girl, who was tall and thin, requested the group stop at least once during the hike, but when the program director visited the group at 2 p.m., they all said they were OK. Freeman said the group was traveling leisurely, about 50 minutes a mile, and took many breaks.
The five teens Santry was hiking with that day last remember seeing her when the group took a break at 4:45 p.m., according to new information from an internal investigation by Outward Bound Wilderness. After the break, the group split up. They still had 1.25 miles before reaching their destination at the Colorado River in the Canyonlands National Park, where an instructor waited. Four teens traveled ahead of Santry, while the fifth lagged behind Santry.
The four teens who reached the river first have given conflicting reports to Outward Bound Wilderness about whether Santry eventually caught up to them. Everyone realized that Santry was missing when the last girl, who lagged behind Santry, arrived at the river with an instructor at 6 p.m. That instructor had been waiting with a seventh teen, who was evacuated with an injured ankle.
Outward Bound conducted a search, tapping four instructors trained in first aid and search and rescue skills. They didn't call the sheriff's office or the National Park Service until they found Santry's body five hours later.
The Sheriff's Office said in a press release that Santry was waiting for another hiker before she got lost, but Outward Bound Wilderness officials are not convinced that is true.
Hiking in temperatures above 90 degrees and allowing youth to travel alone goes against Utah state regulations for wilderness programs that troubled youth are mandated to attend. But those regulations don't apply to Outward Bound Wilderness because it's a voluntary program open to all youth, said Ken Stettler, director of the Office of Licensing for the Utah Department of Human Services.
"All we can do is regulate the youth treatment programs, not the recreation programs. Otherwise, we would have been on those guys before," he said, referring to Outward Bound Wilderness.
He also believes Outward Bound Wilderness waited too long to call professional emergency workers.
"Maybe they could have revived her," he said.
Woods said it's too soon to consider whether legal action will be taken.
"I want to take care of my baby" she said, "and put her to rest."
James Vaznis, GLOBE STAFF Date: July 23, 2006 Page: B3 Section: Metro/Region
