6 year old Idaho kid commits that, hanging himself in the kitchen

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER and ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER

A six-year-old boy from Idaho committed suicide by hanging himself in his family's kitchen, according to police. The boy, who has not been named, died on June 3. After a month-long investigation, investigators have ruled his death a suicide, making his the fourth confirmed case of a six-year-old committing suicide in the U.S. since 2007, according to The Argus Observer. The boy and his seven-year-old sister were watching television together just before his death, while their mother and stepfather were showering. The sister later reported that her brother left the TV room and about 20 minutes later, started making noise in the kitchen.

When she went to check on him, she found his body and screamed for her parents. The parents rushed to the kitchen, called 911, and started performing CPR until paramedics arrived. When authorities arrived on the scene, both parents were still drenched from the shower and wearing towels. Payette Police Chief Mark Clark told The Argus Observer that he assigned four detectives to investigate the death and they found no sign of foul play. Clark said investigators were unable to determine whether the boy intentionally committed suicide, but that school records and interviews with relatives indicated the child had some anger issues related to his parents' divorce two years earlier.

Lucas ? , a Lifeways qualified mental health professional in Oregon and a licensed professional counselor in Idaho, said that situations like this are difficult to comprehend, especially when they involve such a young child. He said if parents are concerned their child is having difficulty adjusting to major life changes or other issues, they can discuss the matter with a pediatrician and get a referral to a mental health provider. Some kids lack the verbal and cognitive ability to properly express their emotions and may 'lash out' as a result, ? said.

Signs that a child is having trouble include aggression or other unusual behavior, nightmares, unusual bedwetting or appearing to feel hopeless, ? said, and some depressed children may become preoccupied with thoughts of death.

'If a parent's gut is telling them that something is wrong, they need to follow that,' ? said. 'It's also important for people to know if there has been a prior suicide in the family or if the child is actually verbalizing suicide to get help. If there's a family history of suicide, the odds of the child being suicidal jump exponentially.'