An eight-year-old New Jersey girl took her own life after reportedly reading a news story on Facebook about a Colorado girl who hanged herself in November.
Imani McCray had been sent to her room for a time out just before the suicide attempt.
Authorities said her family members tried to revive her before medics arrived.
Emergency crews were called to her family's apartment building in Newark around 1.40pm on Sunday.
Imani had a faint pulse when paramedics arrived, but prosecutors said she was pronounced dead at the University Hospital in Newark, according to NBC New York.
Essex County prosecutors said they are trying to determine if Imani may have seen the story about 10-year-old Ashawnty Davis, who hanged herself in November, and copied what she had read.
Prosecutors also said Imani may have hanged herself in a case of tragic playacting at her home, according to NBC.
Imani would have turned nine years old next week. Her death comes a little over a week after Ashawnty was taken off life support.
Ashawnty died two weeks after she hanged herself because a video of her being bullied was posted on social media.
'It's just devastating,' her father, Anthony Davis, told KDVR-TV. 'She was just a child of joy and she brought joy to everyone.'
In late October, Ashawnty, a fifth-grade student at Sunrise Elementary in Aurora, was involved in a fight after school.
It was recorded by another student, who then sent the footage to an app called Musical.ly.
In the video, Ashawnty and another girl are seen fighting as a group of kids gathered around to watch.
Ashawnty's mother, Latoshia Harris, said that her daughter confronted a girl who was bullying her. 'I saw my daughter was scared,' Harris said.
Harris and Davis showed the clip to KDVR-TV which broadcast parts of it – though the children's images were muzzed.
'She was devastated when she found out that it had made it to Musical.ly,' Davis said.
After the clip was posted to Musical.ly, Ashawnty was subjected to frequent teasing and bullying at school, according to her parents.
New Jersey girl, 8, 'killed herself in time out' | Daily Mail Online
Imani McCray had been sent to her room for a time out just before the suicide attempt.
Authorities said her family members tried to revive her before medics arrived.
Emergency crews were called to her family's apartment building in Newark around 1.40pm on Sunday.
Imani had a faint pulse when paramedics arrived, but prosecutors said she was pronounced dead at the University Hospital in Newark, according to NBC New York.
Essex County prosecutors said they are trying to determine if Imani may have seen the story about 10-year-old Ashawnty Davis, who hanged herself in November, and copied what she had read.
Prosecutors also said Imani may have hanged herself in a case of tragic playacting at her home, according to NBC.
Imani would have turned nine years old next week. Her death comes a little over a week after Ashawnty was taken off life support.
Ashawnty died two weeks after she hanged herself because a video of her being bullied was posted on social media.
'It's just devastating,' her father, Anthony Davis, told KDVR-TV. 'She was just a child of joy and she brought joy to everyone.'
In late October, Ashawnty, a fifth-grade student at Sunrise Elementary in Aurora, was involved in a fight after school.
It was recorded by another student, who then sent the footage to an app called Musical.ly.
In the video, Ashawnty and another girl are seen fighting as a group of kids gathered around to watch.
Ashawnty's mother, Latoshia Harris, said that her daughter confronted a girl who was bullying her. 'I saw my daughter was scared,' Harris said.
Harris and Davis showed the clip to KDVR-TV which broadcast parts of it – though the children's images were muzzed.
'She was devastated when she found out that it had made it to Musical.ly,' Davis said.
After the clip was posted to Musical.ly, Ashawnty was subjected to frequent teasing and bullying at school, according to her parents.
New Jersey girl, 8, 'killed herself in time out' | Daily Mail Online
