Bullied, A 7-Year-Old Commits Suicide

An issue that has become increasingly visible nationwide, bullying came home to Detroit in a tragic way Thursday.

A 7-year-old Detroit boy hanged himself with his belt from a bunk bed, police said. While the department is investigating the death, police Chief Ralph Godbee said the death appears to be self-inflicted, just as family members reported.

According to the Free Press, the boy, who was not named, had been depressed about being bullied at school and in his neighborhood, and about his parents' recent separation.

Godbee said he was told that the child had expressed a desire to harm himself. The mother also told police her son was being counseled by the family's pastor to help him cope.