Michigan teen admits to encouraging Montgomery County teen to commit suicide
Michigan teen encouraged Texas teen to commit suicide
A teenager in Michigan is admitting to encouraging a Montgomery County teen to commit suicide. The Precinct 3 Constable's Office says the incident happened while the two were communicating over video games. FOX 26's Jade Flury has the details on the charges the Michigan teen faces.
Texas - If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
A teenager in Michigan admits he encouraged a Montgomery County teen to take his own life. The Precinct 3 Constables Office said it happened while the teens were communicating over video games.
"It’s real tragic to see something like this happen. I feel for the family," said Lieutenant Ken Washington, of Montgomery County Precinct 3.
Back in January, deputies from Montgomery County were called to a heartbreaking situation in the Lockridge Farms community.
"They found during the investigation that the juvenile died of a self-inflicted wound," said Lieutenant Washington.
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When the police arrived, they found the teen still wearing his videogame headset.
"During the course, obviously, they saw the headphones, which kind of triggered some questions," said Lieutenant Washington.
Following a long investigation and interviews with the online gaming community, police discovered a teen across the country in Michigan was chatting with the victim who shared that he'd been experiencing suicidal thoughts.
"It wasn’t over so many weeks. It was over a short period of time, or overnight, or that day, that he was encouraging the juvenile here in Montgomery County to kill himself," said Washington.
Dr. Jamie Freeny of Mental Health America of Greater Houston said parents need to be aware of what their kids are doing online.
"So it’s really important that we talk to teens, we talk to youth, to help them understand the reality of the virtual world, virtual gaming, chat rooms, all of that," said Dr. Freeny, the director of the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston.
On Dec. 7, the Michigan teen flew to Houston to plead guilty in Montgomery County Court.
"You want to be able to be able to protect people's children, want them to feel like they can use the internet and play these games online, but the reality is we need to monitor our kids. We have to watch what they are doing," said Washington.
The Michigan teen pled guilty to a felony charge of aiding suicide and misdemeanor harassment causing death.