Youth Services detectives continue to investigate Monday night’s apparent hanging death of nine-year-old Quinshawn Saunders inside his 1920 12th Avenue North home.
Quinshawn’s father called 911 at 9:18 p.m. and reported that he had found his son hanging from a rail in the child’s bedroom closet. The father began CPR, which was taken over by responding police officers and paramedics. Quinshawn was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The father told officers that he found his son’s bedroom door locked when he went to check on him, but that it was not unusual for Quinshawn to lock the door. The father said he retrieved a kitchen knife to unlock the door and found his son in the closet hanging from a piece of fabric. A preliminary autopsy conducted this morning shows that the boy’s death is consistent with hanging. There was no indication at the scene or from the autopsy that anyone else was involved in the death.
Quinshawn’s death has not been classified pending the investigation. An “accidental” classification is being considered as detectives work to determine whether Quinshawn could fully appreciate the ramifications of his actions.
Home at the time were Quinshawn’s father and three other children, ages three months, three years and eight years. There was no information of the child getting into trouble at home yesterday.
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