Under Investigation: How Did This New Bedford Murder Suspect Escape a Group Home?
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) _ The Department of Youth Services is conducting an internal review to figure out how an 18-year-old with a history of mental illness and a lengthy criminal record was able to flee a staff secure group home in Fall River, only to resurface as a suspect in a killing weeks later.
The Boston Globe reports an agency spokeswoman confirmed last week that Alexander Mills escaped the unlocked facility on Nov. 10.
Officials say although DYS immediately notified local police of Mills' departure, state police weren't made aware that he was missing for two weeks.
Mills, now charged in the killing of a New Bedford cab driver, was supposed to remain under DYS supervision until he turned 21 years old.
Mills' attorney said his client has ``significant mental health issues.''