Community Mourns Tragic Death Of Sixth-Grade Student In Cheshire

CHESHIRE, CT — The Cheshire community is mourning the tragic death of a sixth-grade student at Doolittle Elementary School. Anjelita Estrada, 11, died over the Christmas break and the state Chief Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled her death a suicide, according to the Meriden Record-Journal.

The Record-Journal reports Cheshire Police are investigating the death but say they don’t suspect foul play. Anthony Estrada, Anjelita’s father, told the Record-Journal that she moved to Connecticut with her mother and stepfather six months ago and had difficulty fitting in. Counseling has been made available to all schools in the district in response to the tragic death.

Estrada, who lives in New Mexico, is hoping to help prevent any other child or family from having to deal with such a tragedy, according to the Record-Journal. Family members have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help bring Anjelita’s body to New Mexico for a funeral.

“We lost my baby girl right before Christmas in a heartbreaking tragedy,” Anthony Estrada wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Anjelita was a Beautiful butterfly no one could deny. So funny and charismatic. To know her is to love her instantly. Anjelita excelled in everything she did. A green belt in Matsuno Ryu goshinjitsu and was a fierce competitor in Brazilian JiuJitsu, she always gave 100% on and off the mat.

"Anjelita in her 12 years with us showed us true love. My silly little monkey loved to paint and express herself through her art. She was learning to play clarinet and was so good at it. She was talented with everything that she picked up. So creative with everything, she loved making slime and always had some new science experiment she was playing with. The world lost a beautiful soul way too soon. Please help us bring her home from Connecticut back to New Mexico so we can lay her to rest with the love and support of her family. Thank you all for taking the time to share with us. Our beautiful butterfly is now flying with the angels. Love you all.”

UPDATE: In an update on the GoFundMe page, Anthony Estrada said they were able to “lay our Anjelita to rest.”

“It’s been incredibly difficult to say the least,” Estrada wrote. “Without everyone’s love and support I have no idea how we could have been able to navigate this tragedy. I want to thank you all for your generosity. There is no sequence of words I or anyone could ever put together to explain the gratitude that I have for the kindness our family has experienced during Anjelita’s passing. I don’t know where to go from here but I do know that we have a message and a mission. Anjelita was a kind, shy, intelligent, and loving soul. I think that she would have us love one another, regardless of where we come from. If we’re a little different, so what. We all have to share this rock we call earth. We all have to navigate through troubles, ailments, pain....life. All I ask is that we keep sharing this. Get our message out there and maybe we can save another child’s life. Just maybe we can keep another family from having to suffer this pain. I really don’t know what else to say right now but Thank You. Love and be kind to one another.

“Help spread the word!”

Suicide Deaths Involving Children In the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control says there were 47,173 people in the United States who committed suicide in 2017. There were more than 300,000 suicide attempts.

In 2016, the suicide rate among children under the age of 15 was 0.73, while the highest suicide rate (19.72) was among adults between 45 and 54 years of age, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

While the suicide rate among children under the age of 15 is extremely low when compared to other age groups, sadly it happens far too often. CNN reported in 2017 that every fifth day a child under the age of 13 commits suicide.

Since 1999, 1,309 children between the ages of 5 to 12 committed suicide, CNN reports. But tragically the rate of suicide among 11 and 12 year-olds has spiked by 54 percent from 2013-15.

The report notes that the leading causes of suicide among children are relationship problems, mental health issues and attention-deficit disorder. Seventy-six percent of children who commit suicide are boys.

Talking To Your Children About Suicide

Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide says suicide is the second leading cause of death for children and young adults between the ages of 10 to 24. And alarmingly, nearly 18 percent of high school students at least think about suicide while almost 10 percent actually make an attempt.

Parents talking with their children about suicide is paramount in trying to prevent it from happening, the organization says.

"Contrary to myth, talking about suicide CANNOT plant the idea in someone’s head! It actually can open up communication about a topic that is often kept a secret, and secrets that are exposed to the rational light of day often become less powerful and scary. You also give your child permission to bring up the subject again in the future," says the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide.

They say if you plan to discuss suicide with your child that it's best to pick a time when you know you have your child's undivided attention. They also urge parents to plan out what they will say and that it's prudent to have a reference point, for example, "I was reading in the paper that youth suicide has been increasing…” or “I saw that your school is having a program for teachers on suicide prevention.”

The organization says it's ok for you to admit to your child that it's a tough topic to discuss and you must be direct in asking your child to respond to what you said. Listening to your child's answers are also critical and you as the parent shouldn't overreact based on their answers.

Read the full story at the Meriden Record-Journal here.

Visit the GoFundMe page here.

Go Fund Me is a Patch promotional partner.

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