Tragic Death of 8-Year-Old Gabriel Taye, Who Hanged Himself After Violent Bullying, Officially Ruled a Suicide
Update July 7:
After removing the tablet from the coffin of 8-year-old Gabriel Taye, the Hamilton County Coroner ended its second investigation and officially ruled the death a suicide. Upon completion of the investigation, no mention of bullying was added to Taye's death certificate, reported WCPO.
Dr. Lakshimi Sammarco announced Thursday that "the review did not reveal any information inconsistent with our original findings" and the coroner's office "closed the investigation."
Sammarco added she was unable to exhume Taye's body for a second physical examination.
Previous June 8:
Four months after 8-year-old Gabriel Taye of Ohio took his own life, the family asked the coroner to re-open his grave in order to retrieve a tablet that could be crucial in the investigation of his death, reported WLWT.
When Gabriel was buried, his family placed his tablet in his coffin to “to make sure he had something to play with in heaven.”
On Wednesday, the Hamilton County Coroner's Office had exhumed Gabriel’s grave, and pulled out the tablet. Investigators hope to find new information on his tablet that could give additional insight into why he took his own life.
Two days after getting physically attacked in a bathroom by other students, Gabriel, a third-grade student from Carson Elementary School, committed suicide.
Although Cincinnati Public Schools initially said there were no reports of bullying at Carson, the district released surveillance video in May which showed an alleged assault in which Gabriel ends up on the ground for over five minutes.
A Cincinnati police detective said it appears Gabriel was knocked down by another student.
According to WLWT, retired CPS Superintendent Mary Ronan said there’s no connection between the assault and Gabriel’s suicide.