FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- A local boys' shelter has been empty for the past two months after every child was removed.
Bryan Merry, the Fort Smith Boys' Shelter board president, said the children were moved from the home after a child called the Department of Human Services hotline and made allegations against the shelter.
“I do not know what the allegations were, I just know that they were bad enough to have all the children removed,” Merry said. “I do not know fully the whole extent. I know the children felt they needed to be moved for the time being.”
According to Merry, the children were removed in June. Normally, there are 10 children and four staff on site.
“I do not know the whole story," he said. "They were not being abused, I do not think."
Merry said he was not sure if at any point in time a child make an allegation that someone had abused them.
United Way of Fort Smith is one of the main donors for the shelter. Director Eddie Lee Herndon said the organization did not find out the children were removed from the shelter two months ago until Thursday (August 6).
“This past year our volunteers chose to allocate to the boys' shelter $63,000," he said. "And so it is paid out in monthly installments of around $5,000.”
Herndon said United Way will have to discuss whether the shelter will have return the donations for the two past two months.
“It is a serious situation,” Herndon said. “It is going to be reviewed. Our board will make the right decision for the community and those funds.”
Merry said he is waiting for the investigation to be completed and is confident the shelter will serve as a home to children soon.
“[The boys] have been shipped all around throughout the state,” Merry said. “They are all gone and the odds are we will never see them again, ever.”
Amy Webb, the director of communications at the Department of Human Services, said the organization could neither confirm nor deny it is investigating the shelter because it does not comment on any cases.
Officials at the Fort Smith Police Department said no one had filed a report with them.