Connecticut transgender girl flees program after contested incarceration

(Reuters) - A transgender 16-year-old girl whose case stirred protests when she was detained without charges at a Connecticut adult prison, escaped from a private treatment facility on Tuesday, state officials said. The male-born teen, who identifies as a girl, slipped away from her first day at a privately run therapeutic program where she was sent with the consent of state officials and her attorney, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families said in a statement. She was identified as Jane Doe because of her age. "We are hopeful we can quickly find her so that we can continue to engage her in the treatment programs that can help her heal from the many traumas she has experienced," the statement said. The story of Jane Doe, who has reported suffering years of violence, sexual abuse and repeated transfers among foster-care homes and detention facilities, has attracted supporters from across the country. In April, a judge approved her transfer to a women's prison under a rarely used law on grounds that she had a violent past and had assaulted juvenile facility staff. Dozens of advocates, including transgender rights groups, demonstrated against the incarceration at rallies in New York and Hartford, Connecticut. The girl was transferred to the new treatment program after being held at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School and then at the women's prison in recent months. (Reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Peter Cooney)