Ellipsis staffer who died was shoved, hit her head at center for troubled youth, lawyer says

The Ellipsis Iowa staff member who died Tuesday fell and hit her head after a 15-year-old resident allegedly shoved her, her attorney says.

Kathleen Galloway-Menke, 50, of Des Moines, was assaulted outside of the facility for troubled youth at 7085 Northwest Beaver Drive in Johnston on May 8. She was taken off life support Tuesday afternoon after she was declared brain dead, according to family attorney Trever Hook.

Per Ellipsis protocol, she and another staff member followed the resident at a safe distance after he had left campus, Hook said.

"At some point, he turned and ran at the two staff members," Hook told the Des Moines Register. "The male staff member was in front, and he ran by him to Kathleen and pushed her, causing her to fall abruptly and hit her head on the concrete, causing brain damage."

Before pushing Galloway-Menke, Hook said, the resident allegedly threatened to kill her.

Hook said the mother of two likely died from brain damage from the shove. He said the family is considering legal action against Ellipsis over its care protocols.

Galloway-Menke's daughters declined to comment when reached by the Register. The Johnston Police Department also declined to comment on more details about the case.

A police report says Ellipsis called 911 to report the 15-year-old resident had left campus and "had a history of being violent." The report says the assault happened at about 6:42 p.m. outside of the facility, which is near the intersection of Northwest Beaver Drive and Northwest 70th Avenue.

Four police officers also suffered minor injuries, according to the report.

The juvenile was taken into custody after the incident, where he remains. A spokesperson for the Polk County Attorney's Office said the resident is being held on a charge of willful injury while police continue investigating. No other charges had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon.

Ellipsis started in 2021 when existing nonprofits Youth Homes of Mid-America (YHMA) and Youth Emergency Services & Shelter (YESS) merged. Each day it serves more than 750 youth and their families with residential care and treatment, counseling and therapy, behavioral health intervention services, care coordination and family support, according to its website.

Police often get calls for service from Ellipsis for runaway or missing youth, assault, theft, burglary and more. There have been nearly 1,000 calls from the facility from Jan. 1, 2021, to May 8, 2024, according to Johnston Police Department data, including:

• 2024 — 193 (125 runaway or missing, 21 assault, five theft or burglary, three criminal mischief, 50 other).

• 2023 — 382 (251 runaway, one missing, 31 assault, 111 other).

• 2022 — 229 (172 runaway, nine missing, 15 assault, 33 other).

• 2021* — 183 (128 runaway, 18 missing, five assault, 32 other).

*Transitioned from Youth Homes of Mid-America to Ellipsis in August 2021.

In a statement late Wednesday, Johnston Police Chief Dennis McDaniel said his department works collaboratively with Ellipsis and its requests for police services.

"Dedicated Police Department staff and supervisors have been communicated openly and frequently with Ellipsis regarding issues, challenges, and community concerns stemming from the increasing service needs of juveniles placed at the Johnston campus," he said. "Ellipsis leadership has been receptive to feedback and remains actively engaged. Ongoing dialogue with stakeholders continues, as well as pursuit of viable solutions.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2018, health and social service workers are nearly five times as likely to suffer a serious workplace injury due to violence than workers in other sectors. It is estimated that 85% of all assaults on health and social service workers go unreported. Between 2011 and 2013, 75% of the 23,000 workplace assaults were in health care and social service settings, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Some U.S. senators introduced a bill to provide organizations grants to implement safety measures in 2022, but it has not been debated.

Ellipsis Chief Executive Officer Chris Koepplin said in a statement Tuesday it is providing extra counselors and specialists to all staff and youth in its residential programs and will continue providing its existing services to clients.

"Ellipsis is profoundly saddened by this situation, and we extend heartfelt thoughts to all who are affected. We deeply and personally mourn this loss," Koepplin said.

"Ellipsis remains committed to offering a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved, including our community," Koepplin said.

Register reporters F. Amanda Tugade and William Morris contributed to this report.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. You can reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Teen allegedly shoved Ellipsis Iowa staffer who died days later