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Re: 11 year old commits suicide
PEORIA '”
The grief Christina Wood felt Tuesday in the wake of her 11-year-old daughter's death was equal only to the questions running through her head.
Bethany Lutes of 901 W. Broadmoor St. was pronounced dead about 6 p.m. Monday at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, a day after she was found hanged from a tree in her front yard.
"It's totally senseless," Wood said Tuesday.
Wood said the happy-go-lucky fifth-grader had been complaining of problems with friends at school. She had dismissed it as regular preteen squabbles.
But about 4 p.m. Saturday, a neighbor spotted Lutes slumped over in a kneeling position in her yard with a scarf tied around her neck and to a tree branch. She had been unconscious for an unknown amount of time.
When she was told, Wood, a certified nursing assistant, performed CPR on her, but "she just wasn't able to come back."
A notebook was found next to Lutes, but police have not shared its contents.
An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Wood still questions whether her daughter's death was intentional.
She said Lutes, on her Myspace.com page, threatened to swallow some pills to commit suicide. She thinks her daughter may have overdosed on pills - an empty bottle was found later in the house - causing her to pass out in the yard.
Wood has been left to deal with situations she never imagined, including donating her daughters' organs and dealing with the financial stress of her funeral.
Funeral expenses are expected to run between $10,000 and $15,000, Wood said. A plot was donated, but Wood would like an additional plot.
"I want to put up a monument because she deserves it," Wood said, pausing as tears ran down her face. "Wow. I wouldn't have ever dreamed I would have to do this so soon."
She decided to donate Lutes' organs. The girl was honored during a flag ceremony Tuesday at St. Francis Medical Center. The hospital will now fly a flag every time a donor's organs are used to save a life. Lutes' was the first flag to be flown.
"It really helps during a time like this," Wood said. "She was just beautiful. That's why I decided to donate her organs."
Wood said she, Lutes' father and her two sons, age 13 and 10, will always search for answers in the girl's senseless death.
"I think it had a lot to do with peer pressure," she said. "Kids don't realize that some of the things they say or do - when they're as mean as they try to be - it has an impact. They may be joking, but some kids can take it very seriously.
"I just wonder how she even came up with the idea to do something like that."
She urged parents to get involved in their children's lives, and try to set the record straight on suicide.
"If your kid comes home and says there's a problem at school, follow up on it," she said. "Don't ignore it like I did. I didn't know it'd end up like this."
- Gunslinger
- Rep: 88
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
I'm curious what was in that notebook but at any rate saddened to hear of such a senseless death of such a young person.
- DoubleTalkingJive
- Rep: 74
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
Wow, 11 years old and taking her life, that is really sad. I wish kids/teens knew at that the school bullshit passes. I also wish kids weren't cruel to each other but it's been that way for a long, long time. I hate the peer pressure thing and the bullying thing but as much as schools try to stop it and hopefully parents are taking steps to stop there kids from being a bully, it still happens. Although most kids that are really bad bullies are learning from their parents in most cases.
- BethanysDad
- Rep: 0
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
Bethany was my daughter. My baby had enough with her mother and this world and wanted out. Thank you for recognizing and remembering her.
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
Holy shit. Thank God I didn't do one of my usual smart ass remarks in these types of threads. I usually try to add a bit of humor to some of these tragedies to lighten the mood, but there's nothing that can be added to such a terrible and untimely tragedy.
I'm sure I speak for everyone here when saying our hearts go out to you in this time of grief. I have no children, so cant even imagine what you are going through.
I'm going to assume you found this site through a link at websleuths. Cant think of any other way you'd stumble upon a GNR site that just happened to have a thread about your daughter. I think I found this article there as well.
May God be with you.
- DoubleTalkingJive
- Rep: 74
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
I am so sorry for your loss, suicide is a tragedy for all those involved. I can't imagine my how you must feel, I can't even breathe thinking about the loss of a child as I have one son and one on the way.
I was wondering myself how you would have stumbled onto this site. We post many articles and to say I wasn't shocked that you the dad of one of the articles we posted was shocking to say the least.
I wish you and your family all the blessings in the world to get through this extremly tough time and that's an understatement.
- BethanysDad
- Rep: 0
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
With all the press and speculation surrounding my daughter's death, it's hard for me to keep up with what may be posted on the internet. Quite frankly, I'm almost positive a simple Google search with my daughter's name brought me to this site.
Again, thank you for your kind words.
Erik
- arielcarolyne3
- Rep: 0
Re: 11 year old commits suicide
i was just reading this, i actually went to school with bethany. && as her mother says, she was always happy. i never thought this would happen to bethany. she was always so happy and cheerful in school. but i know its been awhile, i went to school with her in washington, in fourth grade, i hate hearing this. im eleven, and i wish her family the best. <3 ill pray for them forever.
