Suicidal teenager saved by Facebook friend

A British teenager who attempted to commit suicide was saved by police after a Facebook user on the other side of the Atlantic raised the alarm.

The depressed 16-year-old boy had been chatting to a girl in Maryland, USA, on the social networking website when he told her he was about to kill himself.

Fearing for his life, the American girl alerted her mother, who then sparked a string of emergency messages between Maryland Police, the White House in Washington, the British Embassy in Washington, Scotland Yard and finally Thames Valley Police.

Despite being armed with only the troubled teenager's name and the fact the attended a school in Oxfordshire, detectives managed to narrowed his location down to eight potential addresses in the area.

Teams of police sped to each of the properties. At the fourth property, on the outskirts of Oxford, they found the teenager barely conscious in his bedroom, where he had apparently taken an overdose.

The youngster was rushed to hospital where, three hours after he posted the online cry for help, he was miraculously revived and made a full recovery.

Oxfordshire police commander Chief Supt Brendan O'Dowda praised those on both sides of the Atlantic who were involved in the rescue.

He said: "When it did find its way to Thames Valley Police, it would have been quite easy for any number of people to decide there wasn't enough information.

"We really didn't have much to go on. It was just scant information.

"But due to the tenacity and professionalism of a number of people, we managed to pin down a number of addresses, then went through the painful and laborious process of visiting the addresses to find the lad.

"It took up time and effort but it was time and effort absolutely well spent."

The teenager was chatting on Facebook speculating about taking his own life shortly before 11.30pm UK time on Wednesday.

He told his American friend: "I'm going away to do something I've been thinking about for a while then everyone will find out."

Once Maryland Police were alerted, US officers contacted a White House Special Agent, who in turn contacted the British Embassy in Washington.

Officials then called the Metropolitan Police in London, who alerted Thames Valley officers at 12.25am last Thursday, because it was believed he attended a school in Oxfordshire.

Police staff at the Abingdon call centre, armed with just the boy's name, searched on Google and electoral register websites, narrowing his location to eight potential addresses in Oxfordshire.

Officers were dispatched to each address and police found the boy alive - but suffering a drugs overdose.

He was still conscious and was rushed by ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he made a full recovery.

His parents are understood to be in a state of shock and do not wish to comment.

Teacher Amanda Miles, of Witney, who has worked for Papyrus, a suicide awareness charity for young people since her son Lori committed suicide three years ago, said: "There are cases where children are egged on by people on websites so it is amazing to hear a positive outcome and that being on a computer has saved somebody.

"It's fantastic he's alive, but his parents must be traumatised."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/facebook/5104882/Suicidal-teenager-saved-by-Facebook-friend.html

Amazing!!

Wow! If it was Myspace, he wouldn't have been saved because it's not likely you'll see their real name whereas on Facebook your full name shows up, so it would have been easier to find him. That's a great article, thanks for posting

^For real. Yeah one of my friends posted this article on facebook. Glad to know he's alive