PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - All charges have been dropped for one of the two educators accused of involuntary manslaughter, in the drowning death of a 12-year-old two years ago.

The ruling was made on Wednesday by Judge Michael K. Callan in Berkshire Superior Court. On July 17th of 2024, 12-year-old Giver Essien drowned at Beartown State Forest in Great Barrington.

She was there with the Pittsfield Public Schools Herberg Middle School’s 21st Century Summer Program. The educator no longer facing charges, Linda Whitacre, was the program coordinator.

Investigators said the field trip was running behind schedule that day, and organizers originally planned to have two small swimming groups, but instead, all 35 children went into Benedict Pond at once.

Around 1:15 p.m. that afternoon, kids started to get out of the water. Between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m. they were loaded onto the bus. When supervisors did a head count — they noticed Giver was missing and a search began.

She was pulled out of the water just before 2, emergency responders provided life-saving measures for around 30 minutes, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.

The other educator facing charges, Site Supervisor Meghan Braley, had a deadline set to file a motion to dismiss her case, but that deadline came and went in April with no motion filed. She’s expected to be back in court on June 23rd.

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