‘He made everybody happy’: Family of teen found dead in mental health clinic wants more details
When you mention 17-year-old Denzell Sullivan's name to his family and friends
By Angela Rozier
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STUART, Florida (WPBF) — The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of 17-year-old Denzell Sullivan, who was found unresponsive at a mental health clinic in Stuart over the weekend.
When you mention Denzell’s name to his family and friends, it brings a smile to their faces.
His girlfriend, Kimani Paul, said he was full of life.
“He made everybody happy,” Paul said.
Family members said he was fine when he was admitted to Coral Shores Behavioral Health earlier this month.
Aunt Sophia Richardson said the family wants to know what happened.
“The things that are wrong with his body couldn’t have happened the way they say it happened,” Richardson said.
Sullivan’s mother, Yolanda Briggs, said her son was experiencing a mental health issue, and she called 211 for help.
“I told him that day when he was telling me that he loved me, and I was like, ‘Yes, baby, love you, too,'” Briggs said. “‘And that’s why I’m trying to get you some help.'”
Attorney Joseph Williams said that while Sullivan was in the facility, they were told the teen fell in the shower and was in grave condition.
“He has marks on his body, like there may have been some type of scuffle or fall,” Williams said.
He said the teen was transferred to two different hospitals and passed away early Wednesday morning.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek explained that the marks seen on Sullivan’s body were caused by lifesaving measures by paramedics.
“There’s some bruising on the arms that took place from fire rescue using a CPR machine doing chest compressions, and it is a violent act,” Budensiek said. “And then there’s a hole in the leg, which was also from fire rescue, drilling to try and do an IV, drilling to do a bone marrow procedure in the leg.”
He says the autopsy did not reveal any obvious signs of the cause of death.
An investigation is still ongoing.
“The most frustrating thing for us is that we cannot provide answers to the family about what took place,” Budensiek said.
Coral Shores released this statement from chief executive officer Stephen C. Quintyne, which reads:
“We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Sullivan. We are providing our full cooperation to the investigation.”
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