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…