«Kill yourself, you don’t belong here»: the Mother of 10-year-old boy who killed himself, told how he was bullied in school

10-year-old boy from Texas killed himself after his classmates mocked him at school, and said to him: «Kill yourself».

The family of a fifth-grader Kevin Reese, Jr., who on January 21, hanged himself in a closet in his home in Houston, encourages schools to more actively fight bullying.

«I never thought he’d go that far, ever, says crystal Smith, mother of the deceased child. — I still don’t believe, and I need some time to accept the fact that it happened.»

According to the woman, her son loved to draw, he had the most beautiful smile, and he seemed a happy child, but Reese was constantly teased at Robinson Elementary School. Smith said that back in November a boy came home in tears because one of the bullies hit him several times.

His name is Kevin Reese Jr.
10 years old.
A seemingly happy kid.
But he took his own life. #kids&suicide #MondayNightAt10 pic.twitter.com/myCcg8zGQ1

— Chauncy Glover (@ChauncyOnTV) March 23, 2019

«They wrote on his pad: «Kill yourself, you don’t belong here»,» — says the mother. According to her, she was sure that the son will cope with this situation.

Smith also reported the incident to school authorities, which said that there was no evidence of «physical fights».

«They told me that I never noticed was that there should be any harassment,» said Smith.

According to the mother, despite the official statement, the bullying continued. Smith believes that for this reason her son had committed suicide. It happened just as he and his 13-year-old sister returned from school.

«He just got sick, Smith said ABC. — He felt that he was backed into a corner.»

At the time of the tragedy the woman was at work. Called her daughter.

«She just screamed into the phone and I didn’t understand, recalls the heartbreaking moment the boy’s mother. She was screaming, «Kevin»».

Smith hopes to use his sad experience will increase people’s awareness on the prevention of child suicide.

«Unfortunately, this is becoming almost epidemic, and not only here, but all around,» said Ellie Sauls, child psychologist at Heritage Behavioral Health Consultants.

Specialist allocates 4 main factors influencing what children want to commit suicide: the pressure at school, social network, problems at home and bullying.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number: 1-800-273-8255. You can also send the text «HOME» to 741741 to contact a consultant in crisis situations.

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