The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating the suspected suicide of a 35-year-old father of two who was found hanged from a tree in the yard of his Coconut Grove home yesterday morning.

According to police, a passerby found the dead man around 7.30am, hanged from a palm tree on 8th Street with a telephone cord wrapped around his neck.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said police do not suspect foul play.

“Police received reports after 7am that a man was hanging from a tree. When officers arrived on the scene it was confirmed that the lifeless body of a male was hanging from a cord attached to a tree. He was pronounced dead on the scene,” ACP Dean said.

“An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.”

Police have not identified the victim, but relatives said he is Cephas Deveaux, also known as “Junior.”

The victim’s aunt, 84-year-old Mornet Newbold, said her nephew moved in with her “a short time ago” and was experiencing some troubles.

“I do not see this as a loss because I know Jesus and you have not lost anything if you know Jesus,” Ms Newbold said.

“He was my brother’s son and my brother died too. I asked him last night (Wednesday), not to go to the bar room and he gone right there and come home and hang himself with the wire from the telephone. He just hang himself.

“He had to be depressed to go and pop a cord and hang himself. I do not know what happened, I only heard the noise and I wake up and they say ‘Junior hang himself’ and I screamed ‘Why?’ He did it right there, right in front of the house.”

Investigations continue.

The incident came as health officials marked World Suicide Prevention Day.

The Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre hosted a symposium yesterday under the theme “Preventing suicide: Reaching out and saving lives. One suicide is one too many.”

World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity to increase public awareness and understanding of suicide and its factors.

At the event, officials noted that according to a recent study, more than 15 per cent of boys and 24 per cent of girls, aged 13-15 years old seriously considered attempting suicide and nearly 14 per cent have attempted suicide in the past 12 months.

Earlier this year, researchers at Dr David Allen’s “The Family - People helping people” project, said 25 per cent of people living in the Bahamas have contemplated suicide.

The study also found that hangings made up 55 per cent of the 96 suicides between 2000 and 2013.

The researchers found that men were seven times more likely than women to kill themselves.

In that 14-year period, 86 males committed suicide compared to 13 females, researchers said earlier this year.