11-year-old boy’s suicide may be part of new online challenge
The child jumped from his balcony in Naples, Italy, around 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Italian newswire ANSA. He left a note to his parents that read: “I love you mom and dad. Now I have to follow the man in the black hood. I have no more time. Forgive me,” according to news.com.au, citing local reports.
Investigators are assessing whether the boy’s note is a reference to the online persona “Jonathan Galindo,” a fictional character who reportedly asks kids to complete various tasks that ultimately end in their suicide.
By all accounts the boy seemed happy and well, ANSA reports.
It is not clear who might have contacted the boy, but the creator of the character, a special effects producer, has said he has no involvement in the online game. The character’s creator is believed to have written a Twitter post in July that said he made the figure for his “own weird amusement, not for some modern-day thrillseeker looking to scare and bully people.”
https://www.crimeonline.com/2020/10/03/11-year-old-boys-suicide-may-be-part-of-new-online-challenge/