Brattleboro police and the state Department of Children and Families are continuing to investigate the suicide of a 13-year-old girl at a Brattleboro Retreat group home last week.
The suicide is the third in two years at the retreat. A patient's intentional overdose in 2012 led to increased oversight by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and touched off a series of events in which the hospital was threatened with the loss of federal funding.
But a spokesperson said the federal agency won't investigate the suicide last Friday, because it took place in a residential facility that isn't certified by CMS.
The Department of Children and Families licenses residential programs for teenagers and young children in Vermont.
Jim Forbes of DCF said the ongoing investigation reflects the gravity of the event and doesn't necessarily mean the Retreat has been accused of negligence or wrongdoing. He said the investigation could take another month to complete.
