Contested death (2000 to present)

Unidentified teen

OpenJun 16, 2020 · Age 17 · Spring (Harris County), TX

What happened

On the evening of June 16, 2020, a witness found a 17-year-old in the playground area of Ehrhardt Elementary School in the Klein school district near Spring, Texas. Klein ISD Police were called at about 8:10 p.m. Officers and EMS tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead minutes later. School police asked the Harris County Sheriff's Office to take over the investigation.

On June 17 the sheriff's office said that security video, witnesses and other evidence pointed to suicide and that there were no signs of foul play. It said his name and cause of death would be released by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science. His death came within weeks of the deaths of Robert Fuller in Palmdale and Malcolm Harsch in Victorville, California, and a day after another man was found dead in northwest Harris County. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called for a federal investigation into the Houston-area deaths.

His name hasn't been released, no family statement has been reported, and no final ruling has been located.

The case

Where found: Playground area of Ehrhardt Elementary School, Klein ISD
Official finding: Preliminary: suicide, no signs of foul play (Harris County Sheriff's Office, June 17, 2020). A final ruling from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science wasn't located.
Investigation: Klein ISD Police responded at about 8:10 p.m. after a witness reported finding him, and asked Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide investigators to take over. The sheriff's office said school surveillance video, witnesses and other evidence showed no signs of foul play. Cause of death was left to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science.
Family position: No family statement reported. His name wasn't released.
Public evidence: School surveillance video, reviewed by sheriff's investigators. Not released publicly.
Federal review: None reported. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called for a federal investigation of this and other hanging deaths in the Houston area.
Last verified: 2026-10-21

Verification note: The sheriff's office described him as a Black teenage male in a tweet quoted by REVOLT; its Nixle alert gave his age as 17 but not his race. REVOLT said the Harris County Police Department responded; the sheriff's own alert says Klein ISD Police and the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Sources

Record history

Oct 21, 2026 · Reviewed update
Case added
- Name: Unidentified teen
- Age: 17
- Date found: 2020-06-16
- City or county: Spring (Harris County)
- State: TX
- What happened updated
- What happened sources updated
- Where found: Playground area of Ehrhardt Elementary School, Klein ISD
- Official finding: Preliminary: suicide, no signs of foul play (Harris County Sheriff's Office, June 17, 2020). A final ruling from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science wasn't located.
- Investigation: Klein ISD Police responded at about 8:10 p.m. after a witness reported finding him, and asked Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide investigators to take over. The sheriff's office said school surveillance video, witnesses and other evidence showed no signs of foul play. Cause of death was left to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science.
- Family position: No family statement reported. His name wasn't released.
- Public evidence: School surveillance video, reviewed by sheriff's investigators. Not released publicly.
- Federal review: None reported. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called for a federal investigation of this and other hanging deaths in the Houston area.
- Verification note: The sheriff's office described him as a Black teenage male in a tweet quoted by REVOLT; its Nixle alert gave his age as 17 but not his race. REVOLT said the Harris County Police Department responded; the sheriff's own alert says Klein ISD Police and the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
- Sources updated