Enschede teen commits suicide over online nude photo
A 15-year-old boy from Enschede committed suicide by jumping off an apartment building on Sunday after finding a nude photo of himself online. It is believed that the photo - a self portrait taken in the mirror - was posted on Instagram by a girl that used to attend the same school, AD reports.
At 3:16 p.m. on Sunday 15-year-old Onur sent a text to his girlfriend "I loved you my baby". Two minutes later another one followed: "I'm going now bye. You can send what you want, it's no use", with 20 hearts. His girlfriend panicked and sent him eight messages in under a minute, but got no reply. A short time later, the emergency services responded to the spot where Onur jumped.
A police spokesperson confirmed to AD that they are investigating. "We will do so with tact; they are minors. We are trying to find out whether a crime was committed. That is not yet clear. The Public Prosecutor must determine whether there was an offense and if there is an interest to prosecute." The police know about the stories that a former pupil of Bonhoeffer posted the photo. "But we don't focus on rumors, we must have facts."
Less than a day after the tragic event, about 200 students from his school - Bonhoeffer College - gathered in front of Onur's home in the Deppenbroek neighborhood. They wanted to pay tribute, express condolences, but could barely cope with their own feelings, according to the newsspaper. "This is a nightmare", one girl in the group of grieving teenagers said to AD. Two friends describe Onur as a "sweet, gentle boy". "Often quiet. He was not someone who expressed his feelings. But we didn't mind."
After a while Onur's uncle came outside to speak to the group. "Thank you all. It's very sweet of you. But we can't mean anything to you right now. Our hands are full with our own grief. You don't have to go away, but we can't do anything more." he said.
Despite it being spring break, Bonhoeffer College is opening its doors on Tuesday for a few hours. Students who want to come together to talk and grieve are welcome to go to te school.
