Teen from LI found dead at state detention center

A 16-year-old Long Island boy who was housed at a state detention center for juvenile delinquents has committed suicide, officials said Thursday.

The boy killed himself inside the Highland Residential Center in Highland, a hamlet in Ulster County, said Susan Steele, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Children and Family Services. She declined to release the boy's name or any details about him, citing privacy laws.

The boy was found dead Tuesday evening in the center, which houses 122 male juvenile delinquents between 12 and 18 years old. The boys are generally placed in the center by Family Courts.

The Ulster County Medical Examiner's office is conducting an autopsy, Steele said. State police were called to the center after the boy's body was discovered.

The Highland facility, described by Steele as "limited secure," is made up of 10 residential buildings and four educational buildings.

Steele said staff and residents at the facility were shaken by the death.

"Our hearts go out to the family," she said.