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Thread: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides - Need myspaces

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    Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides - Need myspaces

    The first of the young men to hang himself loved to spend time outdoors hunting and fishing.

    One of his pallbearers, a popular basketball and football player who graduated from Caruthersville High School in May, hanged himself less than four months after the funeral.

    Between those deaths, two others killed themselves the same way — each hanged himself with a belt from a clothing bar in a closet. All four suicides happened between July and November in rural southeast Missouri.

    Despite the similarities, police, school and church officials have found no evidence of a suicide pact or a direct connection between the deaths.

    "There was no indication that any of them talked to each other about it, at least not that we've heard from their family or friends," Pemiscot County Coroner Jim Brimhall said.

    The deaths have hit hard in this region known for sprawling fields of cotton, rice and soybeans. About one-third of the 6,700 residents in Caruthersville live below the poverty line.

    Cooter High School principal Frank Killian and other community leaders are trying to drive home the message that nothing is so bad it merits suicide, that students can receive help coping.

    "They want the pain they're feeling to go away, but they will create more," Killian said.

    The first jolt came when Clayton Andres Gonzalez, a 17-year-old standout pitcher and shortstop at the high school, shot himself June 10. Gregory Hawk Callens, 18, was among hundreds of young people to attend the funeral, held on a baseball field.

    Callens, who had dropped out of school but was pursuing a GED, hanged himself July 21.

    One of Callens' pallbearers, Jason "J.J." Tate, 18, hanged himself Nov. 10. The popular basketball and football player graduated from Caruthersville High in May and planned to attend a nearby community college this winter.

    Two other young men, Steven Ray Craig Jr., 18, and Christopher Slavings, 23, hanged themselves Sept. 14 and Oct. 8.

    On the day of his death, Craig spoke on the phone with his father. They talked about the son's new fishing reel, bought for a trip planned for the following Saturday.

    The father told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his son had a fight with his girlfriend, and left his family a note saying he loved them but "this was something he couldn't deal with. He couldn't cope with it."

    Young people are mourning their friends in different ways. A few have gotten tattoos to remember Gonzalez, or put decals on their car windows in his memory. They created tributes on the Internet to the young men, and left written notes at Tate's grave.

    Students in Caruthersville have been spotted with bandanas on their heads to remember Callens and Tate, known for the headwear.

    School officials are keeping an eye on the tributes, knowing they can be helpful for sad students, but wanting to make sure the remembrances aren't glorifying suicide in some way.

    "I understand our students need to grieve, and they need to grieve in their own way. I want to respect that, but I don't want to create heroes out of these young men," Superintendent Nicholas Thiele said.

    The Caruthersville district made its counselors available after Callens' death and stepped up efforts after Tate died to provide increased awareness about suicide, depression, isolation, drug and alcohol abuse.

    Now, every student in grades 7-12 learns a program known as QPR, for "question, persuade and refer." Students learn how to talk to friends who are stressed or in trouble and how to notify adults immediately when there's a concern. They're being told about hot lines they can call and other resources available to them.

    The town held three community meetings to outline the risk factors and warning signs of suicide, ways to support grieving youths and the basic steps to a suicide intervention. Ministers are talking to teens from the pulpit and one-on-one.

    Aaron House, 17, who knew a couple of the young men, said he thinks the best thing is for parents to sit down with their children, talk to them and be open to what they have to say.

    His own parents did just that, and House said it helped.

    "It let me think someone's there," he said.

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    I assume none of them have MySpaces?

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    Didn't even look. 

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    What are you waiting for?

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    Motivation to hit me.

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    Ooooh, anyone seen Pulse?

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    Hah... Cooter High School.  :lol:

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    [quote author=Fleta link=topic=3301.msg118026#msg118026 date=1166374907]
    Hah... Cooter High School.  :lol:
    [/quote]

    Damn i was gonna write that. :lol:


    Seriously there has got to be something going on no one knows about or doesn't want to talk about. Four kids commiting suicide and no real explanations?
    <br /><br /><br />&quot;We&#39;re all fucked. It helps to remember that.&quot;<br />- George Carlin

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    http://www.dddnews.com/obituaries/2006-06/


    Gregory H. Callens
    Sunday, July 23, 2006
    Gregory Hawk Callens, 18, of Wardell, Mo., died Friday, July 21, 2006, at Pemiscot Memorial Hospital at Hayti, Mo.

    Born June 22, 1988, at Blytheville, Ark., a son of Sherry Flippo Rinehart of Wardell and the late Gregory Alexander Callens, he was a student.

    Survivors include two brothers, Brandon John Flippo and Dalton Rinehart, both of Wardell; one sister, Megan Rinehart of Wardell; maternal grandparents, Lee and Richard Flippo of Caruthersville, Mo., paternal grandparents, Jimmy and Shirley Callens of Deering, Mo.

    Visitatation will be 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today, Sunday, July 23, at Bradshaw Funeral Home of Hayti.

    Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Monday, July 24, at Bradshaw Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Doug White officiating.

    Burial will be in Mt. Zion Cemetery at Steele.

    Christopher Slavings
    Friday, October 13, 2006
    Christopher Ryan Slavings, 23, of Oran, Mo., formerly of Hayti, Mo., died Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006, in Oran.

    Born July 7, 1983, in Hayti, son of Deborah Ann Ward DePung and Michael James Slavings, Sr., he was a welder and a member of the Significant Apostolic Grace Church in Sikeston, Mo.

    Survivors include one son, Ryan Christopher Slavings, of Hayti; his father, Michael James Slavings, Sr., and wife, Cora, of Hayti; his mother, Deborah Ann DePung, of Farmington, Mo.; one brother, Michael James Slavings, Jr., of Hayti; his fiancee, Carly Pearson, of Oran and grandmothers, Geraldine Slavings, of Hayti and Fleta Parr and husband, Ivan, of Salisbury, Mo.

    Funeral services were held at 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12, at the John W. German Funeral Home in Hayti with Pastors Jamie Jones and Don Burnett officiating.

    Burial was in the Woodlawn Cemetery at Hayti.

    Pallbearers were Kevin Stewart, Josh Burnett, Josh Smith, Jim Armstrong, Randy Trimm and Randy Hayes.

    Steven Ray Craig Jr.
    Sunday, September 17, 2006
    Steven Ray Craig Jr., 18, of Hayti, Mo., died Thursday, Sept. 14, 2006 at the hospital in Hayti, Mo.

    Born Feb. 14, 1988 at Augusta, Ga., he was the son of Steven Craig and wife, Alice West, and Pamela Craig. He was a senior at Hayti High School and loved hunting and fishing.

    Other survivors include two sisters, Stephanie Pevey, of Laurinburg, N.C., and Sharon Craig, of Hayti; one brother, Michael Craig, of Laurinburg, N.C.; a grandmother, Imogene Craig, of Hayti; two uncles, David Craig, of Memphis, Tenn. and Walter Scarborough, of Augusta, Ga.; seven aunts, Nancy Staulcup, Dale Martin, Francis Chavous, and Hilda Scarborough, all of Augusta, Ga., Betty Mixson, of Hampton, S.C., Sharon Waters, of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and Sharon Williams, of Portageville, Mo.; and two nephews, Jason and Cory Pevey, of Laurinburg, N.C.

    The funeral service was held at 2 p.m., Saturday, September 16, 2006, at the First Baptist Church at Hayti with Rev. Jim Pilcher officiating.

    Burial followed at the Woodlawn Cemetery at Hayti.

    Pallbearers included Stevie Hall, Terry Hall Jr., Michael Watkins Jr., Dereck Hall, and Ethan and Jonathan Turnage.

    John W. German Funeral Home of Hayti was in charge of the arrangements.
    <br /><br /><br />&quot;We&#39;re all fucked. It helps to remember that.&quot;<br />- George Carlin

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    shit, i live in rural missouri, id better watch my back&nbsp;
    With The Sureness Of Sleepwalking.

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    heathers
    &quot;swear there ain&#039;t no heaven, but i pray there ain&#039;t no hell&quot;<br />-Blood, Sweat, &amp; Tears

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    [quote author=Fleta link=topic=3301.msg118025#msg118025 date=1166374851]
    Ooooh, anyone seen Pulse?
    [/quote]
    *high five*&nbsp; :lol:&nbsp; We just watched it last night, and that's what just popped into my head after reading this.&nbsp; I wonder if rural Missouri has the internet or cell phones or anything?&nbsp; :|

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    Grapple? Have any of you tried those?

    Apples that taste like grapes!

    (Grapple - The Grape Flavored Apples)

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    It must suck growing up in rural anywhere! I dated this Austrian girl once... she was from a rural region south of Vienna. Very flat and mostly just farmland and Vineyards. Supposedly it has one of the highest suicide rates for a region in europe. I just brushed that off as a statistic until the night I was over at hers and she was showing me her yearbooks (they don't really have yearbooks like in America, but they make their own photo albums all throughout school). ANyway everytime she would turn the page she would point the countless number of classmates who had killed themselves. I asked he why so many and she told be because for teenagers it is just so boring living in the &quot;land&quot; (german for countryside).... Funny thing is that those who stick it out and finally move to the big city (Vienna, not really that big but at least a city), they all want to go back to the country.
    &quot;When doing business with a religous sonofabitch, get it in writing. His word isnt worth shit. Not with the good Lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal.&quot; -William S. Burroughs

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    Re: Rural Mo. area grapples with suicides

    [quote author=andrea0121 link=topic=3301.msg118175#msg118175 date=1166392925]
    *high five*Â* :lol:Â* We just watched it last night, and that's what just popped into my head after reading this.Â* I wonder if rural Missouri has the internet or cell phones or anything?Â* :|
    [/quote]

    Yes, Andrea we have cell phones and the internet, obviously .........

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