My name is Katie Erwin…. I thank God ran away from home before my parents could send me to the program but they sent my brother. Early July 2003 I watched 2 grown big men drag my 17 year old brother out my front door in the middle of the night. My parents made me watch, then told me if I kept up my bs I was next. I was told my brother was going to a boarding school to “help” him. I wasn’t allowed to talk to him, write him letters or see him. 6 months later at 16 I packed a bag and left and never came back. 11 months after Will was taken he turned 18 and ran outta there and 2 weeks later he arrived back home…. My brother was NOT the same at all. He was quiet, broken, angry….. for the duration of his life (took his own life in Sept of 2019) he wouldn’t talk about it. He brought it up once to our parents who defended their decision to send him….. I just finished watching the Program and have not stopped crying. I need to know what Will went through, his voice was silence and my beautiful amazing big brother took his life over it. So I guess this isn’t my testimony…. It’s Will’s. Please if any of you knew him while there….. please email me [EMAIL REDACTED]. His name is William Erwin and we are from Palmdale Ca…. Please if you knew him help me be his voice and please I know it’s painful but I need to know what Will went through.
