Shocked Classmates React To Suicides Of Two Plano East Students

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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Shock, concern and support at Plano East high school today. Grief counselors returned to the campus as word continued to spread that two 17-year-old students had committed suicide over the weekend, hours apart.

Family members found Ritu Sachdeva's body in their Murphy home. The medical examiner has listed 'multiple medications' as the preliminary cause of death. Then, within hours, police discovered the body of Hillary Kate Kuizon, hanging in a wooded area near Kimbrough Stadium.

"They were good students," says Christian Lewis, a student at Plano East, "always on time, always kept their grades up." Classmates say the teens didn't appear to be either 'troubled' or 'troublemakers'… which makes the thought of them taking their own lives even more difficult to comprehend.

Murphy police are leading the investigation and tell CBS11 that they are going through electronic communication, looking for clues. Meanwhile, suicide prevention experts warn that answers are often elusive.

"I think that's what makes it so hard," says Jenyce Gush, Director of Programs at the Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas. "You just struggle to find an answer. And it's not there."

For decades, Gush has helped families navigate the guilt and grief, having traveled that same road when her younger brother committed suicide. She's says it is important for friends and the community to stay close to these families.

"The thing I learned is that if love could keep someone alive, they would never have killed themselves," says Gush, "because it's not about love. It's not about something someone said or did. My heart goes out to these families, and I would say, be gentle with yourself… you've done nothing wrong."

A woman who identified herself as Sachdeva's sister took to Facebook to share her grief: writing on a post, "She was so bright, beautiful, quirky, and just all around amazing… Nothing could have prepared me for this. Our family and friends are devastated."

The families have asked for privacy as friends gather around them to offer support.

"I don't know what the school can do, or anyone else can do to prevent stuff like this really," says Praharsha Sunkara, another Plano East student. "But, I really think that just talking about it would help."

Whether it is the ease with which teens can now share the normal angst of growing up, or simply that life now brings more pressure, experts say teen suicide is on the rise.

According to the Suicide & Crisis Center, some 16 percent of Texas high school students have in the past 12 months thought "seriously about suicide." Experts say the heartbreaking losses at Plano East now present an opportunity for parents to begin a conversation with their own teens.

"Ask their children—`how are you feeling about this? This is pretty devastating to hear. How do you feel about that?' and get them to talk about it with you," says Gush…"because communication, to me, is incredibly effective."

Gush says it is also important to listen carefully to the answers. If a teen's thoughts of suicide have gone beyond 'I could' to 'this is how I would' take my own life, it's time to get help.

The Crisis Center's hotline is answered 24 hours a day. 214-828-1000.

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