Teh One Who Knocks
04-07-2017, 11:13 AM
By Joshua Rhett Miller - The New York Post
http://i.imgur.com/WpXqmhe.jpg
An 11-year-old Michigan boy hanged himself after a “manipulative” social media prank, his mother told The Post.
Katrina Goss, of Marquette, said her son Tysen Benz died at a hospital in Ann Arbor on Tuesday after she found him trying to take his life on March 14. She said that she later learned her son’s suicide attempt was in response to a sick online joke.
The shocking stunt, Goss claimed, was coordinated between friends.
“I’m quite angry,” Goss said in an interview on Thursday.
“I feel like, yeah, they’re young and all that… you’re completely knowledgeable of your choices and you know right from wrong. You can make your own choices.”
“I don’t feel like it should be taken lightly,” she said, adding those involved must be held “legally responsible for this horrific prank.”
Capt. Mike Kohler of the Marquette Police Department confirmed there’s an investigation into Tysen’s death, but declined to comment directly on his mother’s allegations.
“If criminal charges are going to come out of this, they’ll be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review,” Kohler told The Post.
Goss said trouble began after Tysen — an active, athletic and popular student at Bothwell Middle School — bought a cellphone from a friend without Goss’ knowledge.
Precisely what motivated the prank is unclear, Goss said.
“He was probably the most amazing kid that you would ever know,” Goss said. “He was in every sport, he was super social, he had tons of friends and every single person who knew him loved him … [He] was the last person who would choose this choice, which I think was an impulsive choice.”
William Saunders, superintendent of Marquette Area Public Schools, said in a statement that they had few details because the incident happened off of school grounds, but that officials were cooperating with investigators.
He also warned that young students need to be careful online.
“Many of us have followed Tysen’s mother on social media and agree wholeheartedly in her statements regarding the dangers of social media,” Saunders said. “After the gut-wrenching loss of a student we ask ourselves, ‘How can we do more?'”
More than $31,000 had been raised by Thursday in a GoFundMe campaign created days after the boy was hospitalized.
“He has now been set free and can Rest In Peace,” the website reads. “He was loved by everyone he knew and he will absolutely never be forgotten. Our family is completely heartbroken.”
http://i.imgur.com/WpXqmhe.jpg
An 11-year-old Michigan boy hanged himself after a “manipulative” social media prank, his mother told The Post.
Katrina Goss, of Marquette, said her son Tysen Benz died at a hospital in Ann Arbor on Tuesday after she found him trying to take his life on March 14. She said that she later learned her son’s suicide attempt was in response to a sick online joke.
The shocking stunt, Goss claimed, was coordinated between friends.
“I’m quite angry,” Goss said in an interview on Thursday.
“I feel like, yeah, they’re young and all that… you’re completely knowledgeable of your choices and you know right from wrong. You can make your own choices.”
“I don’t feel like it should be taken lightly,” she said, adding those involved must be held “legally responsible for this horrific prank.”
Capt. Mike Kohler of the Marquette Police Department confirmed there’s an investigation into Tysen’s death, but declined to comment directly on his mother’s allegations.
“If criminal charges are going to come out of this, they’ll be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review,” Kohler told The Post.
Goss said trouble began after Tysen — an active, athletic and popular student at Bothwell Middle School — bought a cellphone from a friend without Goss’ knowledge.
Precisely what motivated the prank is unclear, Goss said.
“He was probably the most amazing kid that you would ever know,” Goss said. “He was in every sport, he was super social, he had tons of friends and every single person who knew him loved him … [He] was the last person who would choose this choice, which I think was an impulsive choice.”
William Saunders, superintendent of Marquette Area Public Schools, said in a statement that they had few details because the incident happened off of school grounds, but that officials were cooperating with investigators.
He also warned that young students need to be careful online.
“Many of us have followed Tysen’s mother on social media and agree wholeheartedly in her statements regarding the dangers of social media,” Saunders said. “After the gut-wrenching loss of a student we ask ourselves, ‘How can we do more?'”
More than $31,000 had been raised by Thursday in a GoFundMe campaign created days after the boy was hospitalized.
“He has now been set free and can Rest In Peace,” the website reads. “He was loved by everyone he knew and he will absolutely never be forgotten. Our family is completely heartbroken.”