The Fairbanks community is grieving this morning following the death of a local boy.
Lance Emberling, with the Union County Coroner’s Office, confirmed that an 11 year-old boy had died, the result of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The boy’s father called 911 at about 10:22 a.m. Wednesday. When first responders arrived at the scene in the 24000 block of Drake-Skidmore Road, they found the boy dead. Emberling said the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Emberling said the boy’s body was sent to Montgomery County for an autopsy.
Adham Schirg, Fairbanks superintendent, called the death an “unimaginable situation.”
He said the boy had just completed fifth grade and would have been a sixth grader in the fall.
He asked the Fairbanks school community to “respect the privacy and sensitivity of the situation.”
Officials from the Union County Mental Health and Recovery Board said trained crisis counselors are working in partnership with Fairbanks staff to provide grief support for students and parents at the school.
Counseling will be available at the school until 3 p.m. today and then beginning again tonight at 6 p.m.
“Counseling will be available when the school year begins on Aug. 14,” Schirg wrote in a statement.
“At this time our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, the Fairbanks staff and to the community,”
Holly Zweizig, Adult Systems of Care Director for Union County Mental Health and Recovery Board wrote in a statement.
Schirg has said families needing support may call the district office at (937) 349-3731. Students with an immediate need are being asked to contact Nationwide Childrens’ Hospital Crisis Hotline at (614) 772-1800.
Schirg said the district is also providing “additional parent resources about grief” on the Fairbanks website.
Zweizig also advocated that anyone “concerned for yourself or a loved one, please call the crisis hotline 1-800-731-5577 or text 4HELP to 85511.”
She said Maryhaven also offers walk-in crisis services during business hours.
Zweizig said the loss of a child is, “devastating at any time.”
“Death by suicide is tragic and shocking, particularly if it is a child,” Zweizig said. “Suicide is also complicated, often involving complex issues and many unanswered questions.”
She said three children have committed suicide in Union County in less than a year. Zweizig said mental health officials are working to create a series of town hall style events for the schools to discuss youth suicide in the community.
“We hope to provide an informational meeting about youth suicide for parents in the coming weeks,” Zweizig said.