A Mount Pleasant grandmother’s mission is to bring awareness to suicide after her grandson took his own life in Marquette.
It’s a story we brought you last week when we learned of 11 year old Tysen Benz’s death.
His mother says the Marquette boy had received some text messages suggesting a girl he called his girlfriend had committed suicide.
Following the cruel prank, Tysen decided to take his own life.
Tysen was on life support until last Tuesday.
He died from his injuries at a hospital in Ann Arbor.
The 13-year-old girl faces charges of malicious use of telecommunication services and using a computer to commit a crime.
Tysen’s grandmother lives in Mount Pleasant.
9&10’s Taylor Jones asked her what message she wants to get across about the tragedy.
Tuesday was Tysens funeral in Marquette.
His grandmother Marcella was not able to attend, but she wants to stress the importance of preventing tragedies like this.
“Every opportunity I have, I plan to let him serve as a reminder against being bullied,” says Marcella Hadden.
Marcella, grandmother of Tysen heartbroken today, knowing her grandson is no longer with them.
“Well when we heard what happened, me and my sister immediately went to Ann Arbor where he was flown and you just can’t imagine the things that cycle through your mind, I mean it’s bad enough to lose a child, a grandchild, and then to have to lose it through suicide,” says Hadden.
After the tragedy, Marcella is hoping to bring awareness to suicide, especially with kids.
“My hopes will be that if anyone is viewing this, to right now take the opportunity to check your children’s phones. You’re paying for it, you’re the parent, and you’re responsible for it. Take it, look at it, if you find anything, and talk to them about it. It’s a mean horrible world you know, it’s not all innocent and joyful,” says Hadden.
Marcella and her family are a part of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. They were able to honor Tysen this past weekend with a spirit feast.
“We feed him, we have a feast, we have our feast foods and we use a birch bark plate and we put a little bit of all the foods that were brought to honor him on that and that is the first plate that goes up and we burn it so then we feed him and he takes that and he feeds his relatives. I felt it needed to be done here in this community so that everyone could say a prayer for him,” says Hadden.
More than 100 people came to the spirit feast to say a final goodbye to Tysen.
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