14-year-old student found hanging in school's dining hall

A 14-year-old final year student of Miracle Educational Academy Junior High School (JHS) at Sunyani in the Bono Region, Leticia Kyere Pinaman, has allegedly committed suicide.

The incident happened at about 6:30 pm on Monday, May 17, 2021, while the students had converged at the school’s church auditorium for Bible studies.

The deceased is said to be one of the brilliant students in her class.

Note

According to the housemistress of the school, Madam Gifty Acheampong, the deceased left a note on a table which read: "I am not happy, this world is full of sorrow and pain, I can’t live anymore and I want die”.

She said the note had been taken by the police to compare with the deceased’s handwriting.

Madam Acheampong explained that the Bible studies was part of the school's curriculum and was held every Monday evening.

She said while the Bible studies was ongoing, she went to the kitchen to monitor the preparation of supper to ensure that the students were served just after the Bible studies.

Madam Acheampong explained that while she was in the kitchen, the students, who had finished the Bible studies, moved toward to the dining hall and upon reaching there, they started shouting and rushing out.

She said she rushed out to check only to see Pinaman hanging in the dining hall.

"When I rushed to the dining hall, I couldn’t believe what I saw," she said.

Madam Acheampong said the school could not pick any information prior to the unfortunate act, because she did not portray anything that showed she was capable of committing such an act.

She said the deceased performed her responsibilities normally and took part in all the school's activities, including class activities, explaining that her act was unexpected.

Madam Acheampong said the deceased was one of the brilliant students, calm and jovial in class and at the hostel, where she always cracked jokes with her colleagues.

Close friend

A classmate of the deceased, Miss Cindy Cheremeh, who is also her closest friend told journalists that although she noticed sudden changes in the deceased's attitude, she never suspected it would get to a level where she would take her own life.

She said on that fateful day the deceased was so quiet and when she sought to find out what the problem was, Pinaman told her she was alright and that she was not in a position to share her feelings with her.

Miss Cheremeh said the deceased refused to take her breakfast and the food she bought for her, but stayed in class quietly, explaining that some of the teachers noticed her quietness and when they enquired, she refused to speak to it.

She said she went straight to the dormitory and came back for the Mathematics extra classes before the evening Bible studies during which the incident happened.

Police

The Sunyani Division Crime Officer, DSP Kingsley Wiredu, confirmed the incident to Graphic Online and explained that the police was conducting an investigation into the matter and would get back to the public when the investigation was concluded.   

The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital Morgue, pending autopsy.