Princeton Mother On Daughter's Suicide: 'She Was My Everything'
PRINCETON, Minn. (WCCO) -- It's a topic many of us find tough to talk about: Suicide.
But a Minnesota mom is sharing her story in the hopes of helping others. Tira Aubrecht's 15-year-old daughter, Mariah, died by suicide. She was a sophomore at Princeton High School.
And as WCCO's Angela Davis shares, her life story is one Mariah's mother hopes other parents can learn from.
"She is my mini-me and everybody who sees us is like 'Oh my gosh, you guys look alike.' Well she is my daughter," Tira Aubrecht said.
Tira Aubrecht remembers a happy child with close friends, a girl who embraced being the oldest of five children. A teenager who dreamed of joining the Air Force so she could travel the world.
"She would sit on the couch with her youngest brother who is 2. She would tell him 'Jomiah, I am taking you everywhere. When I get older we are going on trips to Paris, we are going to Belize, we are going to Spain,'" Tira said.
She says Mariah also talked about working in law enforcement one day, and maybe even joining the FBI. She was a dreamer, a planner, just learning how to drive a car.
On Jan. 19, Mariah came home from school and went to her room. That was the last time her family would see her alive.
"I think that the meaning behind all of this is to let people know even though they smile on the outside and say 'I'm fine, I'm good, and things are great,' that maybe sometimes there are not things that are great," Tira said.
Tira says she has no answers to why Mariah killed herself. Neither do her friends. Police told the family a search of Mariah's room, her laptop and her phone revealed nothing unusual or disturbing.
Tira says Mariah openly talked about her day, sharing the good and the bad.
"If you could talk to her today what would you say to her?" Davis asked.
"I would tell her that I love her. She was my everything," Tira said.
"She was amazing, beautiful, smart. The best kid you could ever ask for," Tira said. "That I'm sorry she didn't feel she could talk to me. That I wish I could have saved her. That she was just my everything."
There are several resources to help prevent suicide. There is a free Crisis Text Line that's available 24 hours a day. You can text 741741 and get in touch with a crisis counselor who is trained to bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm.
You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. It also provides free and confidential support for people in distress 24/7.
Here are additional resources for suicide prevention from the National Institute of Mental Health.