State police searched near Short Pump after the early Sunday incident.
GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. — Eight girls escaped Hallmark Youthcare early Sunday after assaulting a staff member and taking keys, prompting a police search near Route 288 and Broad Street before all were found and returned.
Virginia State Police responded around 2 a.m. to the facility at 12800 West Creek Parkway after a report that several juveniles had left. The search brought troopers and local officers into the Short Pump area, where some of the girls were found walking in pajamas, according to CBS 6 Crime Insider reporting.
“All of the juveniles have since been located safely and returned to the facility,” a state police spokesperson said. State police referred questions about the circumstances of the escape to Hallmark Youthcare, an adolescent psychiatric treatment center in Goochland County.
The escape drew renewed attention to Hallmark’s safety record. A CBS 6 investigation found the state cited the facility 27 times between January 2024 and September 2025. The violations included failures tied to active supervision, an employee assaulting a resident and an employee leaving a gate open before two residents ran from the grounds.
State findings after that period included additional violations involving staff conduct and supervision protocols. In one case, three residents accessed a roof during recreation time. In April 2026, Virginia State Police charged a teenage resident with sexually assaulting another underage resident at the facility. A second sex assault investigation from May 2025 remains open.
Hallmark previously said safety and well-being are its top priorities and that allegations receive swift review involving licensing and governing agencies. After Sunday’s escape, the facility said it began a thorough internal review and is cooperating with law enforcement and oversight agencies.
Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services is investigating the incident. The agency licenses providers such as Hallmark and has authority to sanction facilities when violations are found.
All eight girls were back at the facility after the search. Officials have not released their names because they are juveniles, and the state review remains active.
Author note: Last updated July 7, 2026.