That mother, who only wanted to be known as Anne, said she noticed problems including a lack of supervision with Khalil Todd. She says that and other problems prompted her to take her child out of the group home.
"A 12 year old shouldn't have died," said Anne.
Anne's teenager also lived at the Lighthouse group home in Clayton where she says Todd was known for wandering off.
"They just kind of gave him a lot of freedom when he was acting out because they were unable to control him," said Anne.
Monday night, a car struck and killed the 12 year old outside the home on Ranch Road.
Anne believes the youngster's habits and some lackadaisical caregivers led to Todd's death.
"They were a lot more lenient with him one because of his age, and two because of his family situation than they were with some of the other kids," said Anne.
She says once Todd attacked her when she visited her son, and had assaulted others -- often times outmatching the staff.
"Some of the same staff would get assaulted by this child," she said.
That was part of the reason Anne removed her son from the home at the end of last year after only three months.
State Department of Health and Human Service records indicate the home is a level three residential mental health treatment facility -- meaning it's structured and highly supervised. However, the agency's latest report revealed one client ran away on three different occasions last year in less than three months.
ABC11 has also learned that in the last eight years, the Johnston County Sheriff's Office has responded to the home more than 200 times. Most calls involved runaways or disturbances.
Anne believes Todd should have been treated at a better equipped facility.
"My opinion, it would have been more appropriate for him to be in a lockdown facility, where there is more staff and it's more like a hospital setting," said Anne.
Earlier this week, Todd's mother blamed the group home for her son's death. She told ABC11 that her son was smart, outgoing and was making progress there.
The accident is still under investigation. The driver who hit Todd has not been charged.