FL - Police investigate 7-year-old's hanging death

[stilettos]

It is very sad. Yes a seven year old can attempt to commit suicide. It is very rare they succeed. Children as young as five have been sited in the literature as doing lethal harm to themselves.

It is rare enough I do agree with Salem all possibilites should be invertigated,

Just an FYI. My daughter began trying to commit suicide at eight. She has continued through myriad inpatient facilities and meds and counseling. She is now 26. Both of my Foster children did the same. We had a lot of experience in Mental health facilities for children. There have been children in the facilities we frequented on a daily basis as young as 4 that were consitant in suicidal ideation and attempts. It does happen and probably more frequently than most people know.

 

[southcitymom]

Just an FYI. My daughter began trying to commit suicide at eight. She has continued through myriad inpatient facilities and meds and counseling. She is now 26. Both of my Foster children did the same. We had a lot of experience in Mental health facilities for children. There have been children in the facilities we frequented on a daily basis as young as 4 that were consitant in suicidal ideation and attempts. It does happen and probably more frequently than most people know.

((((stilettos))))

 

[PeteyGirl]

Petey,

Thanks for your input!

What really concerns me is that FL has a severe lack of beds for mental health patients. To the point that the head of DCF was held in contempt a few years back. (I'll find some links to post).

I really hope that it was not determined that Gabriel didn't meet the criteria, cuz there simply were no beds available

Based on my few months working for child/adolescent crisis in San Diego, where beds for mental health are as limited as they are everywhere, a child showing serious threat to harm self or others would get "placement" SOMEWHERE.

It's not just goodness and concern that would ensure "placement" somewhere (wouldn't that be a great world to live in?? ). It is pure cover your liability that would ensure it.

So I doubt this little fella was deemed "safe" because there was no place to put him. I sat over night with a mentally retarded child of a prostitute because his mom got picked up and thrown in jail overnight. He was sixteen and functioned as a two year old. He "fit" absolutely nowhere. I also babysat little wannabe gangbanger kids in the lobby, and worked up a TWO year old child who was injuring himself with whatever he could grab and hit himself with.

Anyway, my point is that the system is flawed and limited but is not set up to casually deny care. Obviously, it happens anyway, because human beings and their selfishness is involved. If I were to assume anything, I'd assume this little boy did not "meet criteria" for commitment at that time, as I can see how easily that would happen because of what the criteria are.

 

[daisy7]

Broward child's suicide raises questions about medication
A Broward foster child who killed himself last week had been prescribed powerful psychiatric drugs, some of which the FDA does not approve for children.

Weeks before his death, Gabriel Myers, the 7-year-old Broward boy who hanged himself in the shower of his foster home, had been prescribed a powerful mind-altering drug linked by federal regulators to an increased risk of suicide in children.

In all, Gabriel had been prescribed four psychiatric drugs, two or three of which he was taking at the time of his death, said Jack Moss, Broward chief of the state Department of Children & Families. Moss said he is not sure which medications the boy was taking because Margate police took the foster home's medication log as part of an investigation into Gabriel's death last week.

Three of the psychotropic drugs carry U.S. Food and Drug Administration ''black box'' label warnings for children's safety, the strongest advisory the federal agency issues. Three of the medications are not approved for use with young children, though they are widely prescribed to youngsters ''off label'' -- meaning doctors can prescribe the drug even if not formally approved for that use.

(snipped)

http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/1011223.html

Also has a picture of Gabriel.

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

oh my goodness! I have taken a "black labeled" box before as an adult and the meds that are labeled that way are done so for a reason. Its almost barbaric the way some of the meds made me feel. I can only pray that this child has now found peace

 

[lizzybeth]

Thank you for posting the link with the picture Daisy. What a beautiful child.

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

A 7-year-old boy who allegedly hanged himself complained to his therapists that he was "a bad person," and "born a liar," taught to lie by his own mother, according to newly released documents.

The nearly 1,500 pages released late Friday night by state officials paint the portrait of a terribly troubled child in the foster care system -- going from home to home with a repetitive sentiment: loneliness and anger. In just seven years, Gabriel Myers seems to have experienced a life no parent would want for any child, reports CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami.

http://cbs3.com/topstories/Gabriel.Myers.troubled.2.994826.html

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

This can probably be moved over to the crimes section!

 

[anthrobones]

Aww. Honestly he doesn't look evil at all.

 

[EmMomma]

"The documents show a child shuffled around, seemingly not wanted by anyone, and in the end, alone in a Margate bathroom."

Oh, this makes me sick...my heart hurts.

 

[KT Can]

"The documents show a child shuffled around, seemingly not wanted by anyone, and in the end, alone in a Margate bathroom."

Oh, this makes me sick...my heart hurts.

Mine too...poor baby.

 

[Kat]

I had to wait a bit before I could comment. I read the article and saw that Gabriel had been failed by so many is so few years.

He was found in a car with his unconscious mother surrounded by drugs in 2003 (he was just a baby). He was shuffled from foster home to foster home. He was molested. He molested others. He had no friends.

He was put on 4 different types of psychotropic drugs at one time or another. He was 7...only 7 and medicated to the gills.

He was left in the care of a 19 yr old young man that wasn't supposed to be taking care of him that day.

Poor, poor baby boy. Gabriel you never stood a chance. I wish someone would have just told him, there are no born liars...we all learn to lie or not to lie. I wish someone would have told him that they loved him and showed him that love by word and deed.

RIP Gabriel. You break my heart.

 

[PattyCake]

I'm not fully certain I believe this child did this. I get that life was unimaginable, evil & horrific for much of his life. I get that he must have been more mature than most children that were barely 7.

But the fact that a son visiting, 19 yrs old never having experience with such a severely emotionally damaged child, may have lost his cool and hung the boy himself. Just my opinion reading through this all. And I'm also not sure how that could ever be proven otherwise.

It seems to be a 'natural' assumption that this boy would kill himself eventually anyway. Not quite sure myself. I'm glad to see the investigation by authorities is not completed.

 

[gogrannypop]

What a sad existence for this child. I am so sorry this had to happen. Our precious children are being snuffed out by a society that has become all to complacent and unemotional.

My heart hurts.

 

[capoly]

From article in first post:

"Psychiatrists and therapists wrote that the young boy wasn't suicidal or psychotic, but from time to time, had dramatic tantrums."

Dramatic tantrums....I am so furious at reading this that I'm sputtering as I type.

Dramatic tantrums...how about JUSTIFIABLE ANGER


Ladybass0711....do wonder if it will end up in the crimes forum. Lets hope LE does better by the child in death than the others did by him in life.

 

[southcitymom]

Rest in peace, Gabriel.

 

[justthinkin]

I'm speechless. This is just heartbreaking. That poor child.

 

[sassy_texasbelle2]

Dear God in Heaven what is happening to our children. RIP Sweet Gabriel.

 

[Salem]

From article in first post:

"Psychiatrists and therapists wrote that the young boy wasn't suicidal or psychotic, but from time to time, had dramatic tantrums."

Dramatic tantrums....I am so furious at reading this that I'm sputtering as I type.

Dramatic tantrums...how about JUSTIFIABLE ANGER


Ladybass0711....do wonder if it will end up in the crimes forum. Lets hope LE does better by the child in death than the others did by him in life.

I'm with ya capoly! I'm praying that LE doesn't just sign it off and put it out of the way. I am certain that this child DID NOT cause his own death. I will never believe that he hung himself - NEVER.

Salem

 

[txsvicki]

The poor little boy. If he was taken from his mother as a baby then how did he know if she was a liar or she passed lying on to him. Some adult told him that and about satan, and I just wonder if it was the aunt or uncle that he lived with or some religious fanatic foster parent. The teenager watching him should have never let him go into the bathroom alone or probably even timed him out in his room during a big meltdown. One thing so sad about foster care is how they send some kids from home to home when they act out around their own kids or the other more well behaved foster kids. They probably put him into a home where a known sexually acting out child was living and so the cycle continued. I'm convinced that some kids who have these type problems have inherited bipolar disorder from a parent and are under diagnosed and not treated properly by doctors.