A 12-year-old schoolboy died in a tragic accident hours after sharing a disturbing image from the Netflix series Squid Game, a coroner has ruled.
A Day That Ended in Tragedy
Sebastian Cizmanon was found unresponsive at his family home in Castleford on 27 June. He was pronounced dead a short time after being rushed to hospital, with the medical cause confirmed as hanging.
The inquest in Wakefield heard that Sebastian had been playing happily in the garden before he decided to go inside, saying he was tired. A cousin discovered him upstairs while taking him an ice cream.
Interest in Squid Game and a Prankster Nature
The hearing was told Sebastian was a fan of a game based on the dystopian thriller Squid Game. Police found an image on his phone of a character from the show who was depicted as having died by hanging.
On the day of his death, Sebastian had shared this same image in a WhatsApp group. Detective Sergeant Paul Bayliss, who investigated, said the boy's interest in the show, coupled with his known "prankster nature", provided a hypothesis for the tragedy.
Sebastian was described by his headteacher, Dr Philip Dore of St Wilfred's Catholic High School, as a popular, happy and funny pupil who was good at making his class laugh. He had been a form representative and was previously named "star of the class".
No Evidence of Online Challenges
A police investigation found no evidence that Sebastian had searched for dangerous online challenges on platforms like TikTok. However, he had viewed content related to Squid Game and had searched YouTube for a first-aid video about "surviving choking alone".
Speculation about online challenges was raised shortly after his death, but police found nothing to support it. His parents, Marcin and Katarzyna, said they had previously discussed the dangers of such challenges with him, and he had assured them he would not try them.
In a statement, they described Sebastian as a happy boy with no mental health problems and believe his death was caused by a tragic accident.
Assistant coroner John Hobson concluded that Sebastian died due to misadventure, defined as a deliberate act that unintentionally goes wrong. He described the case as a "very tragic set of circumstances".
