Boy Kills Himself After Girlfriend Faked Her Death

Keep Reading ↓

The story behind the tragic suicide of an 11-year-old boy in Michigan is coming to light.

Tysen Benz’s mother Katrina Goss, claimed that her son died after falling prey to a ‘manipulative’ prank played on him by his 13-year-old girlfriend.

‘She did a prank that made it look like she killed herself and used other friends and their [social media] accounts to make it look like she killed herself,’Goss told the New York Post. ‘So, he believed her and said, “I’m going to kill myself.”‘

The mother walked in on her son while he was trying to hang himself on March 14. He was on life support for several weeks, but passed away on Tuesday at a hospital in Ann Arbor.

The girlfriend is not being identified due to being a minor.  Goss described her son as “an athlete, comedian, friend, brother and all around amazing child”

The Mom noted that things started to go wrong when he bought a cellphone from a friend behind her back and started ‘secretly dating’ the older girl.

His mother never met the girlfriend, but she saw her several times while picking up and dropping off her son at Bothwell Middle School. She has no idea why the girl would make up such a ‘controlling, harassing and manipulative’ prank against her son.

Although the girl is a minor, Goss says she’d like to see her face charges for what she did to her son.

‘I’m quite angry,’ Goss said. ‘I feel like, yeah, they’re young and all that, but I feel like when you’re 13, you’re completely knowledgeable of your choices and you know right from wrong. You can make your own choices. I do feel like she took advantage of a younger boy to control and manipulate him.

‘I don’t feel like it should be taken lightly. She should be held legally responsible for this horrific prank,‘ she said.

Captain Mike Kohler of the Marquette Police Department said they are still investigating Tysen’s death and if charges are handed down, it’s possible that the girl could be tried as an adult if the accusations are serious enough.

After what happened to her son, Goss is encouraging families to speak out and communicate with their children about the dangers of the internet, texting and social media.

‘I urge families to speak out, reach out and communicate with your children about life’s precious gift and the dangers of the internet and texting and how telecommunications can have the same effects as speaking face to face,‘ she said.  

‘I want Tysen to be remembered as he was and all the joy he’s brought to everyone. Keep his spirit alive by standing strong & fighting against social media bullying.’