Years ago, Evan Harris asked his parents, "What would you do at my funeral?"
As Kathy and Rick Harris talked to their son, they realized he was picturing himself at his own funeral.
"It was magical thinking that he could be there and see all the people concerned about him," his father said.
Last month, Evan died by suicide at the age of 23, in a barn at Q&A Associates in Tucker County, a young adult transitional living program.
Q&A markets itself as appropriate for the mentally ill, but is not required to be licensed by the state as a behavioral health care facility.
His death came about a month after another young man enrolled in the program died of self-inflicted injuries in the same barn.
Harris' parents didn't particularly want to talk to the media. But they agreed to an interview because of their concern for other youth that participate in Q&A programs.
Kathy Harris broke into tears as she described her fear for the other young people still participating in the program.
"Our son is gone and somebody's got to protect these kids," she said.
Q&A founder Angie Shockley has not returned calls from the Gazette-Mail after Evan Harris' death. Shockley characterized the first death at Q&A as an accident, but did not dispute that the injuries were self-inflicted.
Kathy and Rick Harris said they found out later that their son had started talking about funerals again. They said he had asked a housemate, "What would you do if I died?"
They also criticized Q&A for not telling them that Evan had started cutting himself again - a behavior associated with suicide.
"They never picked up the phone. They said no news is good news," Kathy Harris said.
When they did find out their son had started cutting himself again, it was from police investigating their son's suicide.
The Harrises said Q&A should have told parents of young people at the facility that the first death was self-inflicted, and should have done something to prevent future deaths.
"They had no explanation for why this happened other than stuff happens," Rick Harris said. "It was ridiculous how little introspection they did about what happened."
They said they received an email from Shockley on Dec. 21, the day of the first death, telling them that staff had "little information" and would respect the family's privacy but would be available to field questions.
When the Harrises did ask questions, they say that Q&A staff members consistently characterized the death as a tragic accident.
"It was shocking how lackadaisical they were about safety issues," Rick Harris said. "All they had to do was put a security camera in the second floor of that barn."
They also say that Q&A staff were well-aware of Evan's impulsiveness and his tendency to have intense emotional reactions. They say they provided staff with a 24-page psychological assessment when Evan enrolled in the program in November.
While Evan's aunt previously told the Gazette-Mail Evan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Evan's parents say he was not diagnosed with autism, but his symptoms were similar to some of autism's symptoms. He had difficulty interpreting social cues. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had a low IQ.
"He was somebody who it was clear and obvious to everyone needed to be watched very closely," Kathy Harris said.
He was also impressionable, his parents said. They believe the first death gave him the idea. He was also heartbroken after a recent break-up.
"This is essentially an 8- to 10-year-old dying of suicide," Rick Harris said. "He had to have somebody else come up with the plan."
"They gave him the plan, the weapon and the opportunity."
They want to know if Evan was one of the clients who found the first client dead in the barn.
"I want to know if my son saw that," Kathy Harris said. "If we would have known that he had seen that we would have been on the plane that day. It makes me feel like all they wanted was our money. They didn't care about our son. It was $9,000 a month to them."
Evan had struggled all his life. To protect him, his parents had cleared the house of guns and knives.
"We Evanized the house," Rick Harris said.
They said he participated in independent living programs with more attentive staff before they sent him to Q&A.
"Evan was a difficult, troubled soul," Rick Harris said, "and we thought he was turning a corner."
They were hoping Q&A Associates would provide Evan with life skills.
"We wanted to give him that chance to show us how much he could do for himself," Kathy Harris said.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.