He came too late.

By Christina Goldbaum and Photographs by

July 17, 2019

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BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — Heydi Gámez García was discovered by her aunt just after midnight.

In recent weeks, Heydi, a 13-year-old immigrant from Honduras, had become increasingly depressed about her father, who had been held in detention since he was caught illegally crossing the southern border in early June. It had been his third attempt in four years to reach the United States to be with his only child, who was living with his sisters in New York. But as days turned into weeks and more than a month passed without his release, the young girl seemed to lose hope, her family said.

Around 10:30 p.m. one recent night, Heydi shut herself in a room, saying she wanted to be alone. About an hour and a half later, her aunt, Zoila, gently opened the door to offer her a snack. Maybe some cookies and milk would cheer her up, she thought.

But the bed with blue and violet flowered sheets was empty. Zoila peered out the window, and then caught a glimpse of the closet on the opposite end of the room: There was Heydi, hanging from a phone-charging cable that she had fashioned into a noose.

She was unconscious, on the edge of death. She had left no note — nothing to help explain what, of the many things that can lead young people to take their own lives, had prompted her to try to end hers.