A tragic story about a teenage couple from Ohio dying by suicide just days apart has gone viral on Facebook.
Details surrounding the suicides are still being investigated, but according to online reports, 18-year-old Mercedes Shaday Smith took her own life in her college dorm room on Thursday (Apr. 20), and her boyfriend, Markeice “Mari” Brown ended his life on Saturday (Apr. 22) after learning of his girlfriends death.
Mercedes Smith was found unresponsive in her dorm room at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky on Thursday, April 20. She was reportedly suffering from depression. A few days later on Saturday, April 22, her boyfriend, Markeice Brown, also killed himself after leaving a devastating video and Facebook post.
Smith, 18, was a communications freshmen and was also on the track and field team at her school.
Her track and field coach remembered how Smith would light up the room with her personality. “Mercedes was a good-spirited person who showed promise in her future,” said Gordon. “She was a fun and loving person and everyone enjoyed being around her. She will be truly missed.”
Apparently, Smith’s friends believed that Brown contributed to his girlfriend’s suicide and they harassed/bullied him online, which, along with the grief of losing his girlfriend, drove him to commit suicide just days later.
The entire situation is being heavily discussed on Facebook and has sparked a serious discussion about suicide awareness and depression.
Teen suicide is a growing health concern. It is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, surpassed only by homicide and accidents. The risk for suicide frequently occurs in combination with external circumstances that seem to overwhelm at-risk teens who are unable to cope with the challenges of adolescence because of predisposing vulnerabilities such as mental disorders. Examples of stressors are disciplinary problems, interpersonal losses, family violence, sexual orientation confusion, physical and sexual abuse and being the victim of bullying.
Brown, 17, was consumed by grief following his girlfriend’s death. Before taking his life, Markeice posted a distressing note on Facebook and went on Facebook Live confirming that people thought he was the one to blame for Smith’s death. In the tearful video he confessed:
“Y’all don’t even know what I was going through. Y’all don’t even know what she was going through. Y’all not gonna find me, so don’t even try to find me. I just wanna be around love, y’all.”
According to Markeice’s suicide note, Mercedes was pregnant with his baby at the time of her death.
“I just lost my girlfriend and my kid she thought everyone was going to bash her like her Friends did that baby brought us so much joy she told me she was pregnant on my birthday I was happy but I also was lost for words. Mercedes asked countless ppl for help that’s why i tried to be the best boyfriend ever…”
Markeice also shared in his note that he had previously talked Mercedes out of ending her life, but if she chose to do so in the future, they discussed “going out together.”
“I messed up once and took someone on a date but that’s all i did I apologized about and…
… I did whatever I had to do to make it up mercedes had my passwords fingerprint on my phone Allat I was very open with her , but we always told Eachother how we hated life and everything in it but I always talked her out of it well we would always say we was going out together so that’s where I’m headed…”
At the end of his post, he wrote that her family wouldn’t allow him to go to her funeral, so he made the decision to find a way to “see her” himself.
“they won’t let me come to the funeral so Ima go see her myself.”
To help the respective families cover the costs of burying Mercedes and Markeice, GoFundMe pages have been created for both of them.
Suicide is a relatively rare event and it is difficult to accurately predict which persons with these risk factors will ultimately commit suicide. However, there are some possible warning signs such as:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackDoctor.org/videos/10153950473156194/
Talking About Dying — any mention of dying, disappearing, jumping, shooting oneself, or other types of self harm
Recent Loss — through death, divorce, separation, broken relationship, self-confidence, self-esteem, loss of interest in friends, hobbies, activities previously enjoyed
Change in Personality — sad, withdrawn, irritable, anxious, tired, indecisive, apathetic
Change in Behavior — can’t concentrate on school, work, routine tasks
Change in Sleep Patterns — insomnia, often with early waking or oversleeping, nightmares
Change in Eating Habits — loss of appetite and weight, or overeating
Fear of Losing Control — acting erratically, harming self or others
Low Self Esteem — feeling worthless, shame, overwhelming guilt, self-hatred, “everyone would be better off without me”
No Hope for the Future — believing things will never get better; that nothing will ever change
If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, they are NOT alone. They can call 1-800-273-8255 24 hours a day/7 days a week or click here.
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