Officials overnight identified the teenager who tragically died by suicide on a Southern California bridge on Thursday, the second student from the same high school to do so in a two-week span.
Shirin Connor Furutan, 17, died on the 210-Freeway at the Haven Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga overpass early Thursday morning, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. He was pronounced dead at the scene at about 1:30 a.m.
Furutan’s death took place near the same overpass where Emily Gold, also 17, was found dead on Sept. 13. Both teens were students at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga.
“We can’t begin to express the depth of our grief over the heartbreaking loss of another student from Los Osos High School,” a portion of a statement by Chaffey Joint Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Mathew Holton stated Thursday. “Our deepest condolences go to the families and friends of both students lost in recent weeks. We stand united in supporting our community through this difficult time.”
Officials have not yet drawn a connection between the two deaths, although they took place in the same area.
According to an online obituary, Furutan was born in Trencin, Slovakia. Rather than asking for flowers, Furutan’s family asked people to donate to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The link to the donation page can be found here.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help Gold’s family pay for funeral expenses.
The students’ deaths come during national suicide prevention month. A suicide and crisis hotline is available 24 hours a day to anyone in need of support and can be reached by dialing 988.
Tony Kurzweil and Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.
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