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12-year-old boy commits suicide after battling depression during COVID-19 lockdown

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12-year-old boy hangs himself after battling depression during COVID-19 lockdown-TopNaija.ng

TopNaija reports that a 12-year-old boy, Hayden Hunstable who felt “sad and lonely” during the coronavirus lockdown hanged himself.

It was gathered that  Hayden Hunstable, of Aledo, Texas took his life three days before his 13th birthday in April 2020 because he didn’t know how to deal with the isolation and depression when the virus caused a nationwide shutdown, the UK’s Metro reported.

The boy’s 9-year-old sister, Kinlee, found him hanged in his bedroom, according to the outlet.

Boy, 12, hangs himself after battling depression during COVID-19 lockdown

His father, Brad recalled the ‘horrific’ moment he found himself trying to save his son’s life on April 17, after his youngest daughter, Kinlee, now aged nine, found Hayden after he took his own life at their home.

He said: ‘Covid killed my son. I think Hayden would still be alive today if Covid had never happened.

‘I had no idea he was struggling or depressed, he was such a happy kid and loved his friends and family. ‘But Covid is a perfect storm for suicide and depression. I think everything just got on top of him, he felt overwhelmed and he made a tragic decision.

 

 ‘On April 17 our water went out at the house and my dad came over, Hayden helped us fix it. It was a beautiful sunny day and I gave him a hug and a kiss on the head.

 

‘Then when my dad left there was just me, Kinlee, and Hayden at home. There was only a 30-minute window, Hayden had gone upstairs.

‘Then my daughter ran downstairs and said Hayden has hung himself. I ran up there, pulled him down, and tried to save him.

‘I performed CPR but I couldn’t save him. He was gone. ‘I saw something horrific that day and I don’t wish it upon anybody. I still get nightmares about it.’

Hayden, who was a student at Aledo Middle School, loved going to go school and loved seeing his friends – so when he couldn’t do those things – it hit him hard, Brad said.

Boy, 12, hangs himself after battling depression during COVID-19 lockdown
Brad, who is married to April, 39, said his son ‘loved football and he loved being around people, he was very social.

‘He was a little guy but he had the heart of a lion. He was beloved by his friends and family.

‘We got him a big curved monitor for Christmas in 2019, just before lockdown, and he loved it. But he broke it by accident, he did something bad on a game, got frustrated, and threw his controller.

‘It hit the monitor right in the middle. We told him he would not get another one, but then lockdown hit and I told him he would have to work to get a new one.

‘He did some chores around the house and we got him a cheaper one in April because it was his birthday on April 21st and he wanted to play with his friends.

 

 ‘Because of Covid, he couldn’t have a party so we got him a monitor for that. ‘Then when the police were investigating after April 17, they found out he broke his monitor again, right in the corner.

 ‘I don’t know if he was scared about getting into trouble of anxious about not being able to speak to his friends and ruining his birthday.

‘He either did it in impulsive anger or he got himself in a situation he couldn’t get out of.’

Boy, 12, hangs himself after battling depression during COVID-19 lockdown

 

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