A 12-year-old boy took his own life by hanging himself in his bedroom after Covid lockdowns made him feel ‘sad and lonely.’ His body was discovered by his little sister, Kinlee who was only 8 years old at the time. Hayden Hunstable, who lives in Aledo, Texas, tragically killed himself in April 2020, just three days before his thirteenth birthday.
The heartbroken father, Brad, still remembers the ‘horrific’ moment he found himself trying to save his son’s life. ‘Covid killed my son. I think Hayden would still be alive today if Covid had never happened,’ he said. Brad, who has been sharing the story of his son’s death, hopes to raise awareness about mental health and prevent future suicides.
The father of two other children said he wasn’t aware of Hayden’s depression and says there were no warning signs of his suicidal mental state. ‘I had no idea he was struggling or depressed, he was such a happy kid and loved his friends and family.
‘But Covid is a perfect storm for suicide and depression. I think everything just got on top of him, he felt overwhelmed and he made a tragic decision.
‘On April 17 our water went out at the house and my dad came over, Hayden helped us fix it. It was a beautiful sunny day and I gave him a hug and a kiss on the head.
‘Then when my dad left there was just me, Kinlee and Hayden at home. There was only a 30 minute window, Hayden had gone upstairs.
‘Then my daughter ran downstairs and said Hayden has hung himself. I ran up there, pulled him down and tried to save him. I performed CPR but I couldn’t save him. He was gone. I saw something horrific that day and I don’t wish it upon anybody. I still get nightmares about it.’
Hayden, who loved going to school and seeing his friends was hit hard by the pandemic lockdowns, which prevented him from doing those things. The young boy also took a strong dislike to virtual learning when his school shutdown in March, and Brad said he thinks the separation from his friends coupled with his struggle with homeschooling led to Hayden feeling down.
But Brad believes Hayden’s ‘tragic impulse decision’ may have been triggered by an accident at home involving his brand new computer monitor. Brad, who is married to April, said: ‘He loved football and he loved being around people, he was very social.