(PIERSON, IA) Just four months ago, a picture shows a smiling group of 6th grade kids at Kingsley–Pierson middile school putting on an Egyptian fair.
Sadly, over the weekend, one of these children took his own life. KMEG 14 is choosing not to disclose the name of the child at this time.
Bill Gotto was a neighbor of the child, and says the suicide has him concerned, even though he doesn't know the cause.
"We assume from bullying but we don't know that's all we had heard and knew," he said. "She was pretty upset and my wife was super upset about it now because we have grandchildren the same age. They don't go to school here, they go to school in Correctionville, but it still bothers you because you never know from one day to the next what's gonna happen."
Fellow students, including one who played baseball with him last year, remember him as being a good kid.
"He like to read books a lot, I think he went through quite a bit of depression, and a little bit of bullying at school... that's pretty much what I think happened. He was a quiet kid, and I don't see any reason why anyone would pick on him, because he didn't do anything, he just pretty much kept it to himself I guess," said one K-P seventh grader.
Grief counselors spent two hours this morning at Kingsley–Pierson Middle School talking with the students about the 6th grader. When we spoke to the superintendent, he said there were no indications that bullying had anything to do with his decision to take his own life.
Kingsley–Pierson has suffered more than its share of tragedy, including a 16 year old who died from complications of anorexia in 2010, a 15 year old killed in a rollover in 2005, and four girls between ten and thirteen years old killed in a snowmobile crash in 2003.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call for help.
The local and national numbers are below:
Siouxland Mental Health
(712) 252–3871
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
1–800–273–TALK
