An 11-year-old boy has committed suicide after falsely learning his girlfriend, 13, had committed suicide. The girl’s death ended up being a social media prank in which she faked her own death.
Tysen Benz was found hanging by the neck March 14 in his room after seeing social media posts and texts that his girlfriend had killed herself. The boy was discovered by his mother, Katrina Goss, who called the prank a “twisted, sick joke.”
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Goss said the girl and some of her friends orchestrated the prank. It was not clear who faces charges. “She had pranked her own death,” Goss, 41, said of her son’s girlfriend. “I don’t know what possessed her to do such a weird prank. It’s a twisted, sick joke.” The unnamed juvenile is being charged in Marquette County with telecommunication services-malicious use and using a computer to commit a crime, Marquette city police Capt. Michael Kohler said in a news release. Police would not release the age of the juvenile charged or comment on what relationship the person had with the boy. The prosecutor’s office declined to comment Thursday. h/t 6abc
Goss said that after seeing posts about his girlfriend, Tysen replied over social media that he was going to kill himself. She said those involved in the prank didn’t tell an adult even then.
“The whole thing happened in about 40 minutes,” Goss said. “He was fine and then I found him. I don’t know what she said she did to herself.”
A GoFundMe page was set up for Tysen’s family.