10 year old dies from accidental hanging

A.J. Underwood

Oneonta police report that A 10-year-old boy died in what police are saying was an accidental hanging.

Oneonta Police Chief James Chapman says authorities and first responders arrived to the boy's house around 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon. According to the Chief,  the boy's mother and three younger sisters were home at the time of the incident. They were getting ready to head out for a party.

Chapman says when the mother started to call out for her son, and got no response, she went into his room. That was when she found him hanging from a rope tied to his top bunk bed.

The mother brought her son down and ran outside for help. Neighbors called for help and performed CPR until emergency responders arrived. The boy was rushed to St. Vincent Blount where he was pronounced dead.

Chapman says no one was in the room when the hanging occurred, but preliminary reports indicate the death was instant.

He says investigators have no reason to believe this was an intentional hanging. According to information gathered from relatives, the boy was making good grades at school and was a boy who was in good spirits. 

Chapman also noted the boy was a boy scout and was in the process of earning a merit badge for tying knots, however Chapman could not say for sure if that was connected to the incident. 

The investigation into his death is ongoing.