DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. – More allegations of physical and sexual abuse are coming out against Vista Maria, a residential treatment facility for girls — the same place 16-year-old Tasia Keaton, who has been missing for over a month, ran away from.
“We’ve got members from the feds to local police working around the clock,” Chief Ahmed Haidar of the Dearborn Heights Police Department said. “She’s been gone over 30 days, and that’s deeply concerning.”
Sources said the girl, who is a victim of abuse and trafficking, has been seen with adult men, or “Johns,” at least twice since she went missing.
“We’re chasing leads across Metro Detroit,” Haidar said. “We need your tips to keep coming in.”
Read more -- Tasia Keaton search adds $8,000 reward as more allegations arise against Vista Maria facility
Meanwhile, Janene Tague, a former resident who was at Vista Maria from September 2007 to July 2008, told Local 4 it was 10 months of trauma, improper treatment, and systemic failure.
“I was diagnosed with autism while I was there,” Tague said. “They gave me medications that caused psychosis. When I refused to take them, I’d be locked in a room or forcibly injected.”
She described routine improper restraints, being held down with staff’s knees on her neck and back, and screaming that she couldn’t breathe.
“They would be screaming, ‘Oh, you can breathe, you can breathe fine.’ They didn’t care. They’d sit there with their foot in my neck, knees in my neck,” she said.
Tague also recalled multiple suicide attempts and episodes of self-harm, with little to no medical follow-up.
“They didn’t take me to the hospital. The nurse cleaned me up and lectured me,” she said.
Tague said staff instigated fights among residents and claimed that many staff were hired without proper background checks.
She also said that sexual misconduct allegations were dismissed internally by convincing other residents that the girls making the claims were lying.
Read more -- Woman describes traumatizing conditions inside abandoned ‘punishment room’ at Vista Maria
Tague, other residents, and even employees have complained about the lack of adequate staff, training and Vista Maria’s “generic” and superficial therapeutic programs.
“Everyone had the same treatment plan. They just swapped names,” Tague said.
While there have been many calls from current and former residents and staff to shut down or investigate the facility, Tague said it goes much deeper.
“Stop human trafficking, because that’s what’s going on,” she said. “All these facilities. Not just Vista Maria.”
Meanwhile, the Dearborn Heights police chief says law enforcement has been devoting major resources to the disappearance of Tasia Keaton, and they are urging current and former residents and staff of Vista Maria to come forward with information about alleged abuse.
“If you are a victim of a crime—assault, sexual assault, fights with staff—please come forward,” Haidar said. “We will investigate. I will personally follow up.”
Anyone with information about this case should contact Dearborn Heights Police at 313-277-6770, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect should report it by calling 1-855-444-3911.
Local 4 has also reached out to Vista Maria for statements, interviews and a tour of the facility.
The following statement was provided on April 22, 2025:
“As a mental health facility focused on youth, we prioritize the health, safety, and privacy of all our residents. Out of an abundance of caution, speaking on individual incidents could jeopardize the trust our residents and their families have placed in us.
We look forward to a time soon, when we can sit down to share the story of the important work being done at Vista Maria. In the meantime, we continue to work with all local and federal law enforcement agencies to support the search for Tasia. Our hearts go out to her family and friends, and we hope that she is reunited with them very soon.
Anyone with information about this case should contact Dearborn Heights Police at (313) 277-6770, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.”
Vista Maria Spokesperson
