Georgia Tech Soccer Recruit’s Demise Dominated A Suicide

A number of experiences have confirmed 17-year-old Georgia Tech soccer recruit Bryce Gowdy’s loss of life was by suicide. 

Gowdy was struck by a freight prepare simply after four a.m. on Monday (December 30) in Deerfield Seashore. He was taken to a neighborhood hospital the place he died.

RELATED: Bryce Gowdy, Incoming Georgia Tech Freshman, Lifeless At 17

Gowdy was set to enroll at Tech subsequent week and start his faculty profession. Now household and buddies are left questioning what was occurring with the younger man who seemingly had his total future forward of him. 

A distraught Shibbon Winelle, his mom, mentioned in a since deleted video posted on her Fb web page that Bryce had been “speaking loopy” and “speaking in circles” about life, in response to the Solar Sentinel.

Regardless of heading to Tech on scholarship, Bryce was frightened about his household’s monetary state of affairs. He and his household have been residing out of a automobile and resort previous to his loss of life. 

“He had a variety of questions on spirituality and life,” Winelle mentioned, preventing by means of tears whereas saying her household was at the moment homeless and residing out of a automobile. “He saved asking if I used to be going to be okay, if his brothers have been going to be okay.”    

Bryce’s uncle Thomas Gowdy mentioned there was a variety of household strain on , in an interview with NBC Information, referring to his nephew because the “head of the family.”

“There was neglect from one aspect [of the family] and an excessive amount of duty from the opposite aspect,” he mentioned. “You possibly can by no means see this coming, irrespective of how a lot you recognize the individual.”

Jevon Glenn, Deerfield Seashore Excessive College’s head soccer coach, instructed NBC 6 on Wednesday (January 1) that he and his workers have been conscious of Bryce’s state of affairs and tried to help him to get him by means of faculty.

“He had what regarded like the chance of a lifetime to most youngsters, however he felt a burden and we talked about it that he’d be going off to Georgia Tech to stability, to free room and board, not worrying about meals or cash or something like that,” Glenn mentioned. “However he’d be leaving his mom and brothers in an unstable state of affairs.”

Not solely was Bryce coping with the household’s monetary wrestle, however in response to the video he and Winelle have been having psychological struggles as properly. 

“I mentioned, ‘Bryce, you need to dig inside and battle these demons that you simply’re preventing.’ I instructed him I wasn’t robust sufficient to assist him proper now, and I’ve my very own demons that I used to be attempting to battle,” Winelle mentioned within the video.

She mentioned she instructed Gowdy to “get it collectively,” “toughen up,” and that he wanted to “get his thoughts proper.” In line with Winelle, he might see that he was upsetting her and tried to carry her hand.

“I wouldn’t let him maintain my hand ‘trigger his vitality was so intense,” she mentioned within the video. “I might really feel the ache in his soul and it was breaking my coronary heart.”

Winelle despatched Gowdy to the automobile to retrieve a blanket, and that might be the final time she noticed her son. 

There was an outpouring of help from throughout to assist the household. The GoFundMe web page established to help the household financially surpassed a purpose of $50,000 and had reached almost $85,000 as of Thursday (January 2) morning.

Glenn mentioned there might be a candlelight vigil on the Deerfield Seashore soccer stadium at 7 p.m. on Thursday. He mentioned Gowdy’s funeral might be at 1 p.m. on Jan. 11 within the Deerfield Seashore Excessive auditorium, and will probably be open to the general public.