Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old Black man, was found hanging from a tree in front of Palmdale City Hall in Poncitlán Square around 3:39 a.m. Friday, VladTV.com reports.
Authorities believe Fuller committed suicide. The body showed no signs of a struggle and the scene was not disturbed, which would have indicated others hoisted his body into the tree.
Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau told reporters there was “nothing that would indicate he was put up there against his will. The rope wasn’t thrown over but tied to the branch, which means somebody had to get up there and tie it.”
READ MORE: Medical Minute: Coronavirus Psychosis
City officials believe Fuller was suffering from a mental health crisis, likely exacerbated by forced isolation during the coronavirus quarantine in California.
Fuller reportedly had a history of depression.
Last week, writer and author Jas Waters committed suicide by hanging. Her body was discovered in her home in California. She was 39.
If you are in crisis or having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741.
