After another escape from Holly Hill hospital, CEO declines questions about patient protections :: WRAL.com
WRAL Investigates has confirmed with the Raleigh Police Department that an adult patient escaped from Holly Hill psychiatric hospital on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025.
WRAL has reported extensively on prior escapes at the juvenile facility next door, including when seven teens escaped in one incident earlier this year, and two incidents in which teens escaped in 2024.
The mother of the adult patient who escaped over the weekend told WRAL that her son was found late Sunday evening in Cary. She says her son told her that he walked there from the Raleigh facility. She says that Holly Hill told her that her son was able to take staff keys, and used those to make his escape.
WRAL Investigates’ Sarah Krueger wrote to Holly Hill CEO Leigh Holston to ask what the facility is doing to prevent future escapes. Holston replied that she could not answer that due to HIPAA, the federal law related to patient privacy. Krueger pointed out HIPAA would not prevent her from answering the question, as she was not asking for a specific patient’s information. Holston did not respond further.
WRAL Investigates has reported for years on complaints related to Holly Hill, including concerns about staffing levels, a lack of therapy and over-medication of patients.
Ronelle Fiori, a former Holly Hill patient, told WRAL Investigates she was not surprised to hear of the latest incident. She says her experience at Holly Hill earlier this year was so negative, it prompted her to write a letter to Gov. Josh Stein.
“You don’t feel safe there,” she said. “You don’t want to go to sleep at night.”
Fiori believes Holly Hill needs “a total revamp … or to be shut down.”
WRAL Investigates asked Raleigh Police how many times so far this year they have responded to Holly Hill for escapes. They acknowledged two occasions — one report at the adult campus, and one report at the children’s campus.
Through a public records request, WRAL recently obtained the 911 calls for the Sept. 21 escape at the children’s campus.
“Holly Hill Hospital, we got a riot,” the 911 caller said. “Please send somebody. Please … The boys are trying to escape. They’re jumping the counters. They’re out of control. Please come …. We don’t have enough staff. Please, come on.”
WRAL Investigates asked CEO Holston if the facility has enough staff to keep patients and staff safe, and she replied: “Holly Hill Hospital is in compliance with all regulatory bodies. We remain focused on providing high-quality treatment, services, and support to patients, their families and the community at large.”
The mother of the latest adult to escape says after her son was found, he was taken back to Holly Hill because it was the only psychiatric hospital with space available. She hopes for an overhaul of the state’s mental health system, and more beds to be available.
In an interview Tuesday, WRAL asked Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell about the issues at Holly Hill.
“Mental health is definitely a focus area of City Council because we know that is critical to public safety overall and serving the residents of Raleigh,” she said. “I’ve made inquiries about Holly Hill several times to the City Manager after some of your stories, and we do not have any direct contractual relationships with them.”
WRAL previously reported that the Raleigh Police Department works directly with the facility to transport patients straight there rather than taking them to emergency rooms. A Police Department spokesperson said that is not a formal partnership or contract.
WRAL contacted the NC Department of Health and Human Services to ask how many complaints they had received this year about Holly Hill, how many open investigations there are into the facility, and what it is doing to ensure standards of care are being met there. A spokesperson said the agency could not comment on the number of complaints a facility gets or any ongoing investigations.
