A teenager was found hanged in an elementary school parking lot around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. Police say the boy was not a victim of foul play.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Department in Texas confirmed a 17-year-old boy was found dead, hanging from a tree in the parking lot at Ehrhardt Elementary School.
Schools are closed for the year due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Police say the deceased teen had a “history of suicide attempts” with one of the attempts occurring “as recently as a few weeks ago.”
Suicides among children and teenagers have been on the rise in recent years.
The boy’s death brings the total to 6 Black people who were recently found hanging from trees in the United States.
Robert Fuller, 24, and Malcolm Harsch, 38, were found hanging from trees in California. Officials ruled both deaths as suicides.
But Fuller’s death is now being investigated after his family rejected the official cause of death.
“The explanation of suicide does not seem plausible,” his family said in a statement. “There are many ways to die, but considering the current racial tension, a Black man hanging himself from a tree definitely doesn’t sit well with us right now. We want justice, not comfortable excuses.”
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.
