🪶 JUSTICE FOR JAELYN JEAN EAGLE THUNDER

DEMAND AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION AND CLOSURE OF NEW START

We are calling on the South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Licensing and Accreditation, Department of Health, Tribal authorities, law enforcement, and all appropriate oversight agencies to immediately conduct an independent investigation into the Volunteers of America Dakotas New Start Program in Sioux Falls and to close the program if serious violations, medical failures, or systemic neglect are substantiated.

New Start is a 24/7 residential substance-use treatment program for pregnant and parenting women and women seeking custody of their children. VOA Dakotas states that the program provides substance-use treatment, mental-health counseling, health education, and medical-care coordination, while providing a safe and structured residential environment for women and their children. 

 

WE ARE DEMANDING ANSWERS FOR JAELYN.

Jaelyn Jean Eagle Thunder, also known as Winyan Wastečáka — “Good Woman,” was a 32-year-old Indigenous woman from Lower Brule, South Dakota, and a mother of three children, ages 4, 7, and 13.

Her 4-year-old son was staying with her at New Start when she died.

According to Jaelyn's family, she had serious medical problems and sought emergency medical treatment on June 7, 2026. Her family says she was told that if she remained in the hospital, she could lose her New Start placement and that CPS could be contacted regarding her young son. With the threat of CPS involvement, Jaelyn returned to New start against medical advice, and did not receive the proper treatment at the hospital.

Prior to this incident Jaelyn had reportedly been prescribed a CPAP machine by two separate medical facilities because of her medical needs. Her family says New Start refused to allow her to use the medically prescribed CPAP because the facility had not personally ordered it.

Jaelyn reportedly suffered from sleep apnea, asthma, as well as other chronic lung issues.

Her family is asking a simple but critical question:

Why was a woman with serious respiratory needs denied the medical equipment prescribed for her, as well as medical treatment in general?

 

CONCERNS ABOUT SUBOXONE

Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) is a medication indicated for the treatment of opioid dependence/opioid use disorder. FDA labeling states that induction is generally undertaken when clear signs of opioid withdrawal are present. The FDA also warns that buprenorphine can cause life-threatening respiratory depression and that deaths have occurred in opioid-naïve individuals. 

Jaelyn's family maintains that she was not an opioid user and was not experiencing opioid withdrawal, raising serious questions about why Suboxone was prescribed or administered to her at all.

Those questions are even more concerning given her reported sleep apnea and lung issues, along with the fact that she had reportedly been denied her CPAP.

FDA information also recognizes that opioids can contribute to sleep-related breathing disorders, making an independent review of Jaelyn's respiratory condition, medications, dosage, monitoring, and medical decision-making critically important. 

When the PCP listed on Jaelyn's Suboxone prescription that her mother retrieved with her items from New Start was contacted it was revealed, she had never met Jaelyn. She had no record of Jaelyn at either IHS clinic she works for, and had no idea how her name appeared on a prescription for Jaelyn as a PCP. Indian health services is now investigating the matter. 

We demand answers about:

• Who prescribed REALLY the Suboxone?
• What was the medical diagnosis supporting its use?
• When was it ordered?
• When was it obtained?
• Who administered it?
• What dosage was given?
• What time was it administered?
• What monitoring occurred afterward?
• Why was it given to Jaelyn if she was not experiencing opioid withdrawal?
• Were staff aware of her sleep apnea and CPAP needs?
• Were appropriate respiratory precautions followed?

There are also allegations from residents that staff have improperly distributed Suboxone to people who wanted it for non-treatment purposes. These are allegations and must be independently investigated—not ignored.

 

WHAT HAPPENED DURING JAELYN'S FINAL HOURS?

According to information provided to her family, another resident heard Jaelyn at approximately 12:30 a.m. and again around 2:00 a.m.

At approximately 7:20 a.m., Jaelyn's 4-year-old son alerted staff that his mother would not wake up.

It is standard for rehab facilities nationwide to run nightly checks on their residents on average from every one to four hours, with patients who are at higher risk typically checked every 30 minutes to two hours. These checks are done to check for basic safety,  proper breathing,  and signs of distress. If this is the standard for rehabilitation facilities why is the only timeline for when Jaelyn last showed signs of life provided by another resident overhearing her in her bedroom while using a shared bathroom?

After the other resident last heard her at 2 am, there is a 5 hour window where Jaelyn was clearly not accounted for by anyone including staff members. Jaelyn's remains were not discovered until 7:20 the next morning when her 4 year old son alerted staff. What are staff members not performing the appropriate nightly checks on the residents of New Start? Why did a 4 year old boy have to alert adults that his mother had passed away, and for that matter had been passed away for hours with him in the room. Alone. 

We demand a complete investigation into everything that occurred during those hours, including:

• Medication administration records
• Medication orders and pharmacy records
• Staff schedules
• Staff actions and response times
• Incident reports
• Emergency calls and 911 records
• Witness statements
• Any available surveillance footage
• Communications between New Start and medical providers
• Communications involving CPS
• Jaelyn's medical records
• Documentation concerning her CPAP
• All records concerning her final hours
•  

HER FAMILY ALSO DEMANDED AN AUTOPSY.

Jaelyn's mother says she requested an autopsy more than six times.

A Tribal Council member also requested one.

The family says the autopsy was denied.

Her mother has also raised serious concerns about information she received from Sanford regarding where her daughter's remains were being kept and says she was refused the opportunity to see her daughter.

We are not asking the public to assume these allegations are proven.

We are asking an independent authority to determine exactly what happened.

Her family deserves to know why an autopsy was not performed, who made that decision, what information was considered, and whether all required procedures were followed.

Is Sanford Health involved in hiding something? If so what?

 

THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN ONE WOMAN.

New Start exists to serve women who may already be experiencing addiction, trauma, poverty, medical problems, family instability, and other vulnerabilities.

VOA Dakotas itself describes New Start as a program intended to improve physical and mental well-being and provide medical-care coordination. 

That means the women inside the program must be able to trust that:

• They can seek emergency medical care without fear.
• They can use medically necessary equipment.
• Their medications will be properly prescribed, documented, administered, and monitored.
• Their medical concerns will be taken seriously.
• Their children will be safe.
• And when something goes terribly wrong, their families deserve transparency.

 

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A VOA AFFILIATE HAS FACED SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS.

This petition is specifically about Volunteers of America Dakotas and New Start. Problems involving another affiliate do not automatically prove wrongdoing at New Start.

However, there is a documented history of lawsuits, investigations, and serious allegations involving other Volunteers of America affiliates.

 

Volunteers of America Southwest — California

Volunteers of America Southwest faced an investigation following allegations involving mismanagement, misuse of public funds, conflicts of interest, and potential fraud. A San Diego County audit found that at least $274,000 went to companies controlled by the CFO's sisters-in-law, while more than $1 million in spending was found to be unauthorized or inadequately documented. County officials demanded approximately $6.5 million in repayment. The affiliate's CEO resigned and its board was disbanded. 

 

Volunteers of America Mid-States — Kentucky

A former COO of Volunteers of America Mid-States was accused of diverting more than $270,000 in organizational funds. The organization said the allegations were discovered through an internal investigation, the employee was fired, and the matter was referred to law enforcement. 

 

Volunteers of America of Los Angeles

A class-action lawsuit has alleged wage-and-hour violations involving unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, inaccurate wage statements, payroll records, and other employment practices. These are allegations made in litigation and are not presented as established facts. 

 

Volunteers of America Greater New York

A 2023 lawsuit alleged that a resident of VOA supportive housing experienced harassment and discrimination and that staff failed to adequately address the alleged conduct.  

 

Blue Butterfly Village — San Pedro, California

In September 2026, 12 current and former tenants of Blue Butterfly Village, a Volunteers of America-operated supportive housing community in San Pedro, California, filed a lawsuit alleging years of unsafe and neglected living conditions, including mold, sewage backups, flooding, severe rat and insect infestations, broken appliances, and alleged retaliation against tenants who demanded repairs. 

These are allegations that will be decided through the legal process. They do not prove misconduct at New Start.

But they further demonstrate why independent oversight, transparency, and accountability are essential when vulnerable people are placed in the care of organizations entrusted to protect them.

 

WE WANT NEW START'S OWN RECORD EXAMINED.

South Dakota's Office of Licensing and Accreditation is responsible for oversight of behavioral-health programs and says accreditation is intended to help ensure the health and safety of people receiving services. The state portal allows complaints to be submitted and provides access to provider accreditation reports, inspections, and plans of correction. 

We want investigators to examine New Start's complete history, including:

• Previous complaints
• Regulatory investigations
• Accreditation reports
• Plans of correction
• Medication-related complaints
• Resident complaints
• Medical emergencies
• Staff disciplinary records
• Policies regarding emergency medical treatment
• Policies regarding prescribed medical equipment
• Controlled-substance records
• Suboxone administration
• Documentation of medical-care coordination
• Any prior deaths or serious medical incidents

 

WE DEMAND:

• 1. An independent investigation into Jaelyn Jean Eagle Thunder's death and the care she received at New Start.
• 2. A complete independent medical review of whether Jaelyn's CPAP was improperly denied and whether her respiratory condition was appropriately managed.
• 3. A complete audit of Suboxone and all controlled medications at New Start, including prescribing, ordering, dispensing, administration, storage, documentation, and monitoring.
• 4. An investigation into why Suboxone was administered to Jaelyn, including whether she had a documented medical indication for the medication and whether she was experiencing opioid withdrawal.
• 5. An investigation into allegations that residents were discouraged from seeking emergency medical care because they feared losing their placement or having CPS contacted.
• 6. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the denial of an autopsy requested repeatedly by Jaelyn's mother and also requested by a Tribal Council member.
• 7. An independent review of the handling of Jaelyn's remains and the information provided to her family regarding their location and access.
• 8. Immediate preservation and review of all relevant records, including medical records, medication logs, pharmacy records, staff schedules, incident reports, communications, surveillance footage, emergency records, and CPS-related communications.
• 9. A complete review of all previous complaints, investigations, inspections, accreditation reports, and regulatory findings involving New Start.
• 10. Interviews with current and former residents and staff without retaliation or intimidation.
• 11. Immediate suspension of new admissions if investigators determine that current residents may be at risk.
• 12. Permanent closure of New Start if serious medical, safety, medication, neglect, or systemic failures are substantiated.

 

JAELYN DESERVED BETTER.

Jaelyn was a daughter.

She was a mother.

She was a sister.

She was a friend.

She was an Indigenous woman who trusted a program that was supposed to help her build a healthier future for herself and her children.

Her 4-year-old son should never have been the person forced to discover that his mother would not wake up.

Her children deserve answers.

Her mother deserves answers.

Her family deserves answers.

And every woman and child currently living at New Start deserves to know that they are safe.

We are not asking authorities to simply take our word for it.

We are asking them to INVESTIGATE.

If New Start operated safely and appropriately, an independent investigation should establish that.

If serious failures occurred, the public and the families who entrusted their loved ones to this program deserve to know.

And if those failures contributed to Jaelyn's death, there must be accountability.

🪶 JUSTICE FOR JAELYN JEAN EAGLE THUNDER

🪶 PROTECT WOMEN. PROTECT CHILDREN.

🪶 INVESTIGATE NEW START.

🪶 DEMAND THE TRUTH.

🪶 DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY.

🪶 IF FAILURES ARE SUBSTANTIATED — CLOSE NEW START.