(AP)—The mother of a slain 9-year-old Missouri girl has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a mental health clinic that provided services to the teenager who killed her daughter.
The lawsuit by Patricia Preiss (pryss) was filed against Pathways Behavioral Healthcare, two employees and 18-year-old Alyssa Bustamante.
Bustamante was sentenced in February to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to killing Preiss' daughter, Elizabeth Olten, in October 2009. Bustamante was 15 years old at the time of the slaying in St. Martins, a small community just west of Jefferson City.
According to the Jefferson City News-Tribune (tinyurl.com/8w2vrlk ), the lawsuit alleges that Pathways personnel knew of Bustamante's violent tendencies and threats and should have detained the teen.
Pathways declined to comment about the lawsuit.
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