8-Year-Old's Death May Have Been Imitation Suicide

NEWARK, NJ — Investigators in Essex County are looking into the possibility that an eight-year-old girl’s alleged suicide in Newark on Sunday was influenced by a story that she saw about the tragic death of a Colorado 5th grader.

Prosecutors said that Imani McCray, 8, of Newark, was found unresponsive in her bedroom at an apartment on the 1000-block of South Orange Avenue around 1:42 p.m. Authorities said that a CPR attempt was made on McCray before emergency responders transported her to University Hospital in Newark. She was pronounced dead at the hospital around 3 p.m.

McCray’s death – labeled a “suicide” in an NBC New York report – took place a week before her ninth birthday.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office said that preliminary autopsy results indicate that McCray did not have visible injuries at the time of her death. Prosecutors declined to comment further and did not confirm whether McCray took her own life, stating that the cause of death is still pending a complete autopsy.

• See related article: Early Autopsy Results For Essex County Girl's 'Sudden' Death

Essex County prosecutors are trying to determine if McCray may have been influenced by a social media story about the recent suicide of Ashawnty Davis, a Colorado 5th grader who allegedly hanged herself due to bullying, NBC New York stated.

There is no indication that McCray was bullied prior to her death, prosecutors said.

• See related article: 'Bullycide' Killed 10-Year-Old Aurora Girl, Parents Claim

McCray's sad passing isn't the only recent instance of an Essex County youth taking their own life.

In November, the family of a 14-year-old in Essex County who died by suicide attempted to raise awareness about the "suffering in the darkness" that caused a promising young woman with a "God-given gift of inspiring love" to take her own life.

• See related article: Millburn Teen, 14, Dies; Family Pens Heartbreaking Obituary

In December 2016, Eva Smith, a 15-year-old Bloomfield resident, took her own life, stunning the Essex County community. Her father, Ronstin, posted an emotionally wrenching video about his daughter's suicide after her death, imploring others to realize when "someone in your life is hurting."

• See related article: 'This Was Not A Joke:' N.J. Dad's Video Cry For Help After Daughter's Fatal Bridge Fall

According to the New Jersey Youth Suicide Report, after unintentional injury and illness, suicide is now the third leading cause of death for New Jersey's young people ages 10-24. The number of suicides among children and young adults has increased 40 percent since 2002, the report states.

While suicide rates are declining for older teens, those ages 19-24, they are increasing for younger teens and pre-teens, ages 10-18.

Since 2007, suicide rates among children between the ages of 10 and 14 has doubled, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

• See related article: More NJ Teens Are Committing Suicide: Why It's Happening And What Can Be Done

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-TALK (8255)
• Tlc4teens.org: A website created by the Traumatic Loss Coalitions for Youth, which includes organizations, hotlines and relevant articles that have been vetted by TLC
• Call or text 2NDFLOOR — a confidential and anonymous helpline for New Jersey youth and young adults, ages 10 to 24, at 888-222-2228. It is staffed 24 hours a day.
• NJ Hopeline: 855-NJ-HOPELINE at 855-654-6735

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Previous reporting by Carly Baldwin and Daniel Hubbard, Patch staff writers

Photo: Shutterstock

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