15-Year-Old California Girl Hangs Self As She Couldn't 'Cope Up With Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Orders’

A California teenage girl hanged herself as she couldn’t cope with the state’s stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The girl, identified as 15-year-old Jo’Vianni Smith, who was a high school student at the Bear Creek High School, hanged herself at her home in Stockton, California, last week.

“The cause of death reportedly was due to the stresses and pressures from coping with the self-isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jo’Vianni's coach at school told local media. “Her name is Jo'Vianni 'Jo' Smith. Jo was a great athlete... [she] was a bright star with a great personality and a huge heart. and a bright future."

Jo’Vianni’ was good at her academics at school and played softball, basketball and also had a great interest in music.

Danielle Hunt, her mother, was devastated from the incident and has still not recovered from the shock. She described her daughter as “bubbly” and “loving” and she was very active on social media and had a lot of friends.

“We can’t think that our kids are OK just because…I felt that I was doing all that I could as a parent to leave the communication open,” she spoke to local media.

Hunt has come forward to share the story of her daughter and expects parents and officials to be aware of such incidents. She wants them to give extra care and concern to people under stress due to the lockdown.

“I will still do my best to tell my daughter’s story. Sometimes we may need to stop and worry about the kids that we don’t think we need to worry about,” she said. “It’s like, how do you explain a girl like her? If you met her one time, like, she made an impact in your life.”

“Sometimes we may need to stop and worry about the kids that we don’t think we need to worry about,” she added.

“We were deeply saddened to learn of Jo’Vianni Smith’s passing. Jo’vianni was well-loved by the Bear Creek High community,” The Lodi Unified School District said in a statement.

“She will be dearly missed by those who knew her. Our hearts go out to the students, families, and staff impacted by this tragedy. We are providing remote counseling and bereavement services to those who need support right now,” the Bear Creek Athletics said in a statement.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.