WESTMORELAND, Jamaica – The father of a 12-year-old boy, who is suspected to have committed suicide at his Broughton district, Little London, Westmoreland residence, is searching for answers.

Young Laron Jurik Jnr was found hanging from an apple tree behind his house, on Tuesday morning.

Reports from the police are that at 6:00 am Tuesday, residents stumbled upon Jurik’s body and summoned the police. On their arrival, lawmen saw the boy’s body with a piece of cloth tied around the neck. The body was removed to the morgue after the scene was processed.

READ: Mother of 12-y-o Westmoreland boy says son was suicidal

Investigators are now awaiting the outcome of a post mortem to guide their investigation.

In an earlier interview with OBSERVER ONLINE, the boy’s mother, Candean Palmer, said her son had suicidal tendencies, noting that he had even slit his wrist on one occasion.

However, the deceased boy’s father, Laron Jurik is questioning his son’s death.

In a post to his Facebook, the father said, “What could cost your own son to take his life, Jr daddy loves and miss u and I swear to almighty God I won’t rest till I know y u died I miss u my son, rest well.”

OBSERVER ONLINE was informed that the distraught dad contacted his son’s former school, Little London Primary, with hopes of getting answers as to why his son would have ended his life.

Anntonette McDonald, the boy’s former grade six teacher, said the grieving father contacted her via the school’s switchboard and asked her why his son took his life.

McDonald said she told the father that she did not have the answer to his question, and he might have called the wrong place to find his truth.

When OBSERVER ONLINE visited Little London Primary on Thursday, staff members described the now deceased boy as fun and “and far from suicidal”.

“He was jovial, an upbeat child, that wouldn’t internalise things,” McDonald explained as she looked on in despair.

She said he would often give jokes in the class and participate in class discussions.

McDonald stressed that the 12-year-old boy was a normal child, who was very polite and quiet.

She said she heard the narrative that Jurik Jnr was suicidal, but she finds it shocking.

“He’s not a withdrawn child, when something happened, Laron would [talk],” McDonald said.

“It’s very sad that he would have felt the need to take his own life,” the teacher added.

Meanwhile, the Guidance Counsellor for Little London Primary, Nadine Williams told OBSERVER ONLINE that the boy was never brought to her for any behavioral issues, or for counselling.

However, she recalled that the family had some challenges after their home was burnt down, in 2019. She noted that the mother had explained that the child did not have the proper uniform. She said the mother was informed to send him to school in jeans, and the school later provided him with uniform, shoes and a bag. She added that they would oftentimes provide the boy with lunch.

“He came and I gave him a bag, shoes, books and uniforms,” she said.

The child had reportedly passed his Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination for the Grange Hill High School.

Unconfirmed reports are that he was not enrolled in high school prior to his death.