17-Year-Old Mfantsipim SHS Student Dies by Suicide in Cape Coast

A 17-year-old final-year student of Mfantsipim Senior High School in Cape Coast, Emmanuel Arthur, has died by suicide, according to the Central Regional Police Command.

The deceased was found in an uncompleted building at Ola North in Cape Coast after a report was made by a carpenter working at the site. Police officers who responded to the scene on June 11, 2026, discovered the student’s remains.

A search conducted at the location led to the recovery of a black backpack containing examination materials, including a Geography mock examination paper bearing the student’s name. Investigators also retrieved two mobile phones and other personal belongings.

Authorities at Mfantsipim SHS later confirmed the identity of the deceased as a final-year student. The family was informed, and the body was released to them after a pathologist at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital confirmed that it had significantly decomposed.

Police indicated that preliminary investigations suggest the student died by suicide, although the circumstances leading to the incident are still under investigation.

The site where the body was found was subsequently fumigated, and the family has since proceeded with burial arrangements.

The incident has raised renewed concerns about student mental health and the pressures facing final-year students as examinations approach.