A teenage boy was found dead inside his Florida middle school on Wednesday in an apparent suicide, officials told WKMG.
The 14-year-old was reported missing at around 7 p.m. after his mother could not find him when she went to pick him up at Greenwood Lakes Middle School.
Deputies found him later that night in one of the school's bathroom stalls with a gunshot wound to the head, the station reported.
"We are deeply saddened to report the death of a Greenwood Lakes Middle School student," Seminole County Public Schools said in a statement Thursday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents and family of the student as they deal with this tremendous personal loss."
It is not clear what led to the student's death or how he obtained the weapon. Police are considering if bullying was a factor.
"We continue to look into what led up to this tragic incident," Kim Cannaday, spokeswoman for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, told the Orlando Sentinel.
Suicide is the nation's third leading cause of death among youth ages 10 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many schools are equipped to raise awareness about bullying, including Greenwood Lakes, but suicide prevention is difficult to tackle because it's an uncomfortable subject.
It's important for adults to recognize the signs that a young person needs help, said Tara Sullivan, director of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.
"I know a lot of parents see typical adolescent behavior and they don't know where to draw the line, but a cry for help is a cry for help," Sullivan told WKMG.
"And if your children are using words like 'hopeless' and saying they want to take their lives or 'You don't have to worry about me anymore,' those would be red flags."
Greenwood Lakes cancelled its Thursday night open house and will have grief counselors available "everyday as long as they're needed," Seminole School District spokesman Mike Lawrence told the Orlando Sentinel.
