NIIGATA (TR) – Niigata Prefectural Police are investigating what is believed to have been a suicide after the discovery of the body of a 15-year-old boy in Niigata City, reports TBS News (Nov. 4).
At around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the body of the boy, a third-year middle school student, was found collapsed at a parking lot of an apartment building in Chuo Ward by a passerby.
The boy, attired in his gym uniform, was transported to a hospital with severe chest injuries. He was confirmed dead shortly after arrival, according to Nippon News Network (Nov. 3).
Upon hearing of the boy’s death, students from the school placed flowers in his memory in front of the apartment.
“He never consulted (with us) about bullying,” the principal of the school is quoted. “He attended school yesterday as usual. We are all astonished.”
However, a note found atop the boy’s desk at his home implied he was experiencing difficulties. “It was painful,” the letter read.
Police suspect that the boy took his life by leaping from an emergency staircase of the building.