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Teen who died in Dunkirk was reportedly a runaway from Auburn

A teenager who died over the weekend in Brooks Memorial Hospital was reportedly a runaway from a facility 170 miles away.

According to Dunkirk Police Chief David Ortolano, on Saturday, a teenager was taken to Brooks Memorial Hospital. The individuals who brought her to the hospital left. The teen later died.

Her body was taken to the Erie County Medical Center for an autopsy.

According to the Auburn Citizen newspaper, the victim was Destani Williams, 17, of Cayuga Centers in Auburn. Cayuga Centers provides residential placement and treatment for foster care children.

Williams went missing on May 15, until her body was identified Saturday in Dunkirk.

Ortolano declined to comment on the death of the teen. He said neither hospital has called the death “suspicious,” although he notes the case is still open because of the autopsy report is pending.

Auburn Police Captain Jim Moore told the Citizen this was not the first time Williams had gone missing from Cayuga Centers. The teen had previously run away from the facility in February and was missing for more than two months before authorities found her in Monroe County on April 24.

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