Nine teenage girls escaped from an Owens Cross Roads treatment facility over the weekend, bringing fresh concerns about the safety of the girls living there and the people who live nearby.
All nine were found and back in Alabama Department of Human Resources custody by Monday, according to local reports. They escaped from Pathway of Madison County in three separate groups Oct. 10–11. It was unclear whether all nine were placed back at Pathway.
According to an Owens Cross Roads Police Department statement, the first calls came around 9 a.m. Saturday, when three people reported seeing four girls walking in the rain near Hamer Road and U.S. 431.
Police said Pathway had not reported those girls missing. Officers found the girls, and transportation from Pathway arrived to take them back.
Before noon Saturday, Pathway reported that two more girls had escaped. Another three left Sunday afternoon, but police said they were not notified until the girls had been gone for 30 to 40 minutes, according to the television report.
In a Monday update, the department said residents helped locate the final three girls. Two were seen walking nearby, and another had gone to a local home, where a resident called police.
City officers and Madison County deputies spent several hours coordinating with DHR to return the girls to state custody. The department also thanked residents who waited for nonemergency police services while officers handled the situation.
Owens Cross Roads Mayor Tony Craig said city leaders were concerned about both the girls and the surrounding community. In a statement carried by the television station, he said the city would continue looking at its legal options to address the problems.
The weekend escapes also prompted Birmingham attorney Tommy James to call for an independent state investigation. James represents children who report abuse and neglect in institutional settings.
In an interview with WAFF, he questioned what was happening inside Pathway and why girls kept trying to leave. He pointed to a September 2024 riot and repeated escapes as reasons for the state to take a closer look.
Pathway houses girls who have been in the foster care system and need help with behavioral issues, according to the report.
Concerns also exist about what happens to the girls who remain inside. The station’s earlier reporting described the Sept. 2, 2024, riot, when Police Chief Jason Dobbins said residents who were not involved barricaded themselves for safety.
An employee suffered a cut above her forehead, and windows and computers were broken. Six girls were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and criminal mischief. One also faced a charge of assault with a bodily fluid.
After the riot, officials announced plans to close Pathway by Oct. 1, 2024. The facility stayed open, however, as its attorney described plans to hire more staff, bring in more experienced management, and improve security.
City leaders later filed a public nuisance lawsuit over conditions at Pathway and repeated calls for emergency help. The earlier WHNT report said the case was scheduled for trial May 5, 2027.
An escape from a different youth facility in Madison County had deadly consequences nine years ago.
Two residents escaped from Three Springs in Madison on Aug. 14, 2017. That day, Van Johnson, a 61-year-old construction worker from Georgia, was beaten to death behind a Publix on County Line Road.
Jakobe Carter and Aaron Jones later pleaded guilty to felony murder and were each sentenced to life in prison, according to an August 2020 report from the Huntsville broadcaster.
Its earlier coverage of Three Springs reported that the facility was allowed to continue operating with additional safety requirements after the killing. Following more escapes, Madison City Council voted unanimously in August 2019 to revoke its business license.
That case involved a separate facility and different residents, but it points to the history of safety concerns surrounding youth facility escapes in Madison County.
At Pathway, the weekend incidents have again left city leaders seeking answers about how to keep the girls and their neighbors safe. In its statement about the two Saturday escapes, police said both incidents remained under investigation and criminal charges were anticipated.
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
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