Teen’s remains found weeks after he was turned away by mental health facility

Authorities in Georgia have found the remains of a 17-year-old boy who went missing some weeks after a mental health facility turned him away when his family tried to check him in, Channel 2 Action News reported. In the wake of Yaron Kathuri’s disappearance, his mother told the news outlet that her son wouldn’t have gone missing if the mental health facility had admitted him. 

Yaron’s family took him to a mental health facility last month to try and have him admitted. But the facility told his mother that there wasn’t any vacancy for admission, and they could only offer her deceased son outpatient treatment. Yaron, whose remains were found on Saturday, went missing two days later. 

“I would say if he was admitted — because he was really adamant about getting medication — that maybe could have calmed down his fears about what he was going through,” the deceased teen’s mother, Vera Kathuri, said.

The deceased teen was supposed to be headed to school when he went missing. “He said, ‘I’m sorry dad’ and then the phone went silent,” Kathuri said.

His family said his car was later found at the Arbor Place Mall parking lot on October 1. “(I’m) confused a little bit. I’m on an emotional rollercoaster. His memories and reality are coming together,” Yaron’s father, Andrew Kathuri, told Channel 2 Action News after his remains were found.

Yaron’s remains were reportedly discovered behind the mall. And though Yaron’s father said he has questions over the circumstances surrounding his son’s death, he said the discovery of his remains has given him some closure.

“On one hand, did he kill himself, or was there foul play?” he questioned. “The thing is, at least I have closure now. He was found. At least we’re not looking in Alabama, some city somewhere. At least he was found.”