by 12-Year-Old Dies by Suicide After Being Left Unsupervised at Spokane Hospital Following Psych Unit Closure
A 12-year-old girl tragically died by suicide this month after being left unsupervised at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where she was awaiting placement in long-term psychiatric care.
Sarah June Niyimbona, who had been receiving psychiatric treatment on and off over the past eight months, managed to leave her hospital room undetected around 5:30 p.m. on April 13. According to a family member and three staff members involved in her care, she exited the pediatric unit without triggering the alarm, walked about a quarter mile across the hospital campus, and jumped from the fourth floor of a parking garage. She died two hours later in the emergency room.
“We’re still trying to understand how this could have happened,” said Sarah’s sister, Asha Joseph. “Why wasn’t anyone watching her? How did she just leave? We have no answers.”
Providence Sacred Heart has not released any public information about Sarah’s death. In response to questions from InvestigateWest, hospital spokesperson Beth Hegde shared only a brief statement via email: “We extend our sympathy to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic situation.” The hospital declined to offer further details, citing patient privacy laws.
Psych Unit Closure Raises Concerns
Sarah’s death comes just six months after Sacred Heart shut down its Psychiatric Center for Children and Adolescents, despite public outcry from staff and community members who warned it would leave vulnerable children without proper care.
In a February 2024 grant application, hospital leaders acknowledged the unit was losing $2 million a year but admitted it offered life-saving treatment. They also warned that nearby facilities might not be able to absorb the demand if it closed. However, after the shutdown, Sacred Heart CEO Susan Stacey downplayed the impact, claiming a for-profit provider in Spokane would fill the gap.
Now, critics say Sarah’s death is exactly what they feared.
“When Sacred Heart closed the unit, we warned them,” said David Keepnews, executive director of the Washington State Nurses Association. “They prioritized finances over children’s safety and community needs.”
Kaili Timperley, a former nurse from the psychiatric unit, added, “We told them this wasn’t a safe plan. You can’t just place kids in regular hospital rooms and expect them to be okay.”
A System Not Designed for Psychiatric Care
Since the closure, children at risk of self-harm have been held in Sacred Heart’s emergency department and on the general pediatrics floor. Two pediatric rooms were converted for psychiatric use, but staff say they lack the safeguards of the former unit.
The old psych unit had at least two sets of locked doors. In contrast, the general pediatric unit’s doors don’t lock from the inside, making it easier for children to slip away. Nurses also say they received no specialized training on how to care for suicidal or high-risk patients.
According to one pediatric nurse, staff had repeatedly expressed concerns about Sarah’s safety. She was often isolated in her room, with little therapeutic support or social interaction. Her care team noted that she had previously been under 24/7 watch, with one or even two “sitters” assigned to monitor her. One was a remote monitor using a camera, which was removed weeks before her death.
Then, in early April—just days before she died—her in-person sitter was removed as well, even though she was still writing in her journal about wanting to go home. Without that supervision, Sarah was left alone.
A Preventable Tragedy
When Sarah’s condition became critical, hospital staff rushed to save her. But it was too late. Nurses later sat together at their station, overwhelmed with grief.
“That’s where the frustration comes from,” said one nurse. “We spoke up. We said she wasn’t safe. But no one listened.”
Sarah’s sister, Asha, said the hospital has provided little transparency about what happened. “It feels like they’re hiding something. Nothing makes sense,” she said. Staff members told InvestigateWest they were instructed not to post or comment about Sarah’s death on social media.
“The hospital is required to investigate,” said Keepnews. “But the family, staff, and community deserve to know what went wrong—and to be assured it won’t happen again.”
Sarah’s Story
Sarah spent her final three months in Room 350, watching reruns of Friends and drawing rainbows in her journal. Staff said she was often bored and frustrated. She wasn’t allowed to use colored pencils or the TV remote unsupervised, as they were considered safety risks. After her sitter was removed, an alarm would sound every time she opened her door to ask for food, water, or to use the bathroom—adding to what one staff member described as a “dehumanizing” experience.
“These were supposed to be the people helping her,” Asha said. “But she felt like they were making things worse. That was heartbreaking to hear.”
Asha remembered her sister as bold, loving, and brilliant. The third of six siblings, Sarah excelled at math, loved dancing, and volunteered at her younger brother’s after-school program.
“She was selfless,” Asha said. “Her friends keep telling me how she was the first to stand up for them when they were being picked on.”
Sarah completed sixth grade last May. But after a summer of isolation and cyberbullying, her mental health deteriorated. She became moody and withdrawn. After her first suicide attempt, Asha rode in the ambulance with her to Sacred Heart’s ER. She was released within hours. This happened again and again.
“She’d leave the house acting totally normal—saying she was going for a walk or taking out the trash,” Asha said. “Then we’d get a call that she was back at the hospital.”
Sarah bounced between emergency care, group homes, and behavioral health centers before landing back at Sacred Heart in January. Her caregivers said she had been improving recently, and the hospital was trying to get her into CLIP—the Children’s Long-term Inpatient Program, Washington’s most intensive psychiatric treatment for youth. But with so few beds available, the wait can take months.
A Community Mourns
Now, Sarah’s family is grieving and searching for answers. They’ve requested her medical records and are looking for legal support.
On Tuesday, loved ones gathered at Riplinger Funeral Home in Cheney. Students, family, and community members sang a South African hymn and prayed. Asha stood beside her sister’s white casket trimmed in pink and gave a heartfelt farewell.
