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Saturday, July 24, 2004
A prominent Kansas family is grieving after an apparent suicide. The body of the youngest son of U.S. Representative Todd Tiahrt, Luke, was found this morning in the family’s Virginia home.
Luke is on the right-hand side, standing next to his father, the congressman.
Luke Tiahrt was 16-years-old and the youngest of the three children. He would have been a junior at W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Va.
Luke was born in Wichita and attended Saint Marks in Sedgwick County for first and third grades, then began attending Virginia Public Schools. He played football, lacrosse and guitar. Tiahrt’s political colleagues offer their condolences.
“This is a terrible tragedy,” says state senator Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita.
While little is being disclosed about the cause of his death, sources say Luke was found around 4:30 this morning. No signs of foul play, authorities are handling it as a suicide, which is all too common for teenagers.
“Depression is definitely linked to suicide,” says suicide prevention expert Liz McGinness.
Tiahrt and his other son flew back to Wichita from Washington today. The family has not made any funeral arrangements at this time.
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