Twelve-year-old Texas boy loses battle to depression during pandemic, commits suicide

The boy's younger sister, Kinlee, found him dead in his bedroom. He had committed suicide by hanging.

The boy's father, Brad Hunstable, said the following in an interview:

"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."

Brad Hunstable went on, saying that he felt that the lockdown was 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."

He then went on to recount the events leading up to his son's tragic death:

"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."

Mental health issues and especially suicides are up astronomically the world over since a year ago. Also, drug overdoses, especially those involving opioids, are way up from this time last year.