Investigation into death of nine-year-old boy who took his own life in Valencia on Christmas Eve
The National Police are analysing the mobile phone and social media that the minor had access to in case he had been induced by third parties
Ignacio Cabanes
Sagunt
Thursday, 15 January 2026, 11:04
The National Police are investigating the death of a nine-year-old boy who took his own life in his father's house in the province of Valencia on Christmas Eve.
The police ruled out homicide and the force's scientific unit has confirmed the death as suicide.
Investigators have been focusing on whether the child had been induced by a third party on social media to take his own life.
As SUR reported in an extensive report in December, there has been an increase in self-harming behaviour and suicides among minors and young people under the age of 20 at a national level.
In the case of the province of Valencia, 57 young people up to the age of 20 have taken their own lives in the last decade, according to data from the institute of legal medicine of Valencia.
In the past 13 years, there has only been one other death by suicide of a child under the age of ten. It is for this reason that the National Police have not closed the investigation or ruled out instigation by a third party.
At the time of the boy's death, his father, the father's partner and a half-sister a few years older than the child were in the house. The Christmas Eve dinner passed normally, according to the testimonies gathered by the police, and nothing foreshadowed the tragic outcome.
In fact, there had been no previous arguments, there were no problems with the child's academic performance at school, as far as the parents were aware, and the child went to bed like any other day, apparently excited about the presents he might receive.
In the early hours of the morning, they realised that he was not in his room and a search led them to his body.
The National Police, the Local Police and a forensic doctor went to the house. The body was taken to the institute of legal medicine in Valencia.
The child had a mobile phone with internet access and was active on several social media platforms. Investigators are awaiting the results of data extraction from the device to further their inquiries.
