DOH promotes 988 crisis line after student death in St. Croix

The US Virgin Islands Department of Health is reminding residents of its 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline following the death of a 16-year-old high school student.

The teenager, identified as Jathan Giffard, was found unresponsive Thursday evening at Lorraine Village Apartments in Estate Grove Place on St. Croix. Police received a 911 call at approximately 5:42 p.m. from a female reporting an unresponsive male inside a home. Officers and Fire-EMS personnel responded and found the teenager hanging inside the apartment. The circumstances and official cause of death remain under investigation pending medical examiner findings, according to police.

Health Department Director Justa Encarnacion said grief and emotional distress can manifest as sadness, shock, anger, anxiety, loneliness, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping. The department encouraged parents, caregivers, teachers, school staff, coaches, faith leaders and community members to check in with one another, particularly young people, and to listen without judgment.

St. Croix Educational Complex High School planned a lunchtime vigil on the day of the announcement at 12:15 p.m., inviting students to gather in Giffard's memory. Students were asked to consider bringing flowers or candles to show support for Giffard, his friends and loved ones.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the territory by phone or text. Trained crisis counselors are available to anyone experiencing grief, emotional distress or difficult feelings, as well as to parents, teachers and others concerned about a young person. Encarnacion said people do not need to wait until a situation becomes an emergency to reach out for help.