A FAMILY was in mourning yesterday after the apparent suicide of a 13-year-old boy.Dean Hunt was found hanged at his Tolleshunt D'Arcy home at around 5.

By Roddy Ashworth

A FAMILY was in mourning yesterday after the apparent suicide of a 13-year-old boy.

Dean Hunt was found hanged at his Tolleshunt D'Arcy home at around 5.45pm on Wednesday.

Despite desperate attempts to save the boy, nothing could be done and he was declared dead at the scene in Festival Gardens.

Dean had been a pupil at Thurstable School, Tiptree, where yesterday headteacher Nick Hammond said he felt it would be inappropriately early to comment.

Formal identification had yet to take place, he said.

Yesterday police confirmed that a youngster had been found dead at the house.

“Police were called to an address in Tolleshunt D'Arcy at about 5.45pm on when the body of 13-year-old boy was discovered at the home along with distressed relatives,” a spokeswoman said.

“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.

“Police will liaise with Her Majesty's coroner's office and a report will be prepared for an inquest.”

It is understood that an off-duty police officer had desperately attempted to resuscitate the boy while ambulance staff and a doctor sped to the scene.

A spokesman for Essex Ambulance Service said: “On arrival at the scene paramedics worked through full resuscitation protocols.

“After doing this for a period of time the doctor said that unfortunately things had gone too far.

“The death was confirmed at the scene at about 6.15pm.”

The spokesman said that crews had been very shocked at attending such a tragic incident and had received a special debriefing.

He added: “It was very upsetting case for all the staff involved and everybody's thoughts are with the family.

“A couple of the crew have children themselves and they found it very distressing - it's hard to bare on what the family must be feeling. Our hearts go out to them.”