FBI finishes investigation of teen's death at Missouri boot camp

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The FBI has finished its investigation into the 2004 death of a student at a Missouri boot camp for troubled teens.

The FBI passed the findings from its investigation to the U.S. Justice Department to decide if a more investigation is needed, FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza said Thursday.

The Government Accountability Office had asked the FBI to look into potential criminal wrongdoing in the death of 15-year-old Roberto Reyes at the Thayer Learning Center in Kidder, Mo.

The camp about 50 miles north of Kansas City houses more than 100 troubled teens and has been the subject of several complaints of child abuse.

Reyes died after spending less than two weeks at the boot camp. His parents sent Reyes to Thayer after the California teenager's grades dropped and he repeatedly ran away from home.

The teenager's death was blamed on a spider bite, but GAO officials said records and interviews showed he had been ill for days and abused for insubordination.

After Reyes' death, his parents sued the camp and several staff members, eventually settling the case for slightly more than $1 million. No criminal charges were filed.