“My son cried out for help—but no one listened before he ended his life.”

A mental health trust has launched an investigation after a grieving mother told the BBC that her son died by suicide just weeks after repeatedly pleading for support.

Tina Jones, from Northfield, Birmingham, discovered that her 30-year-old son, Tyran, had died on Mother’s Day—just a week after surviving two suicide attempts in two days.

Ms Jones holds medics and adult social care services responsible, claiming her son’s cries for help were ignored. She is now calling for urgent reforms in mental health safeguarding to prevent similar tragedies.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust expressed its condolences and confirmed it is investigating its involvement in the case.

Tyran, described by his mother as a “gentle soul,” lived with autism, anxiety, and depression for much of his life. Over the last decade, he had made at least seven suicide attempts—five of them in just the past year.

In 2024, Tyran was detained for several months under the Mental Health Act at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he also received treatment for physical health issues. However, his family say he was placed on a general ward, not in a mental health unit, and that he had later requested to be sectioned again. His pleas, they say, were dismissed.

“They discharged him with no plan, no protection,” Ms Jones said. “He tried to take his life twice in two days—and they let him walk out. I believe they failed him at every step.”

In the weeks before his death, Tyran was convicted for breaking the window of a police vehicle during a mental health crisis—an incident his family say was out of character and indicative of how close he was to breaking down completely.

“People say 30 is too young to die,” Ms Jones said. “But I think 30 was a long time to carry the weight he was carrying. It shouldn’t have come to this. It was down to services to help him. We’ve had no support.”

The family, who run a local flooring business, are now urging the government to implement stronger mental health safeguarding policies. They are advocating for a national database to flag individuals who have attempted suicide, making it easier for services to recognize and respond to those at high risk.

They are also calling for greater recognition of family concerns when a loved one is in crisis.

“How can someone attempt to take their life two days in a row and still be discharged without proper follow-up?” Ms Jones asked. “The only explanation I can think of is that no one documented it. No one was really listening.”

Tyran’s family is now considering legal action against the hospital trusts involved in his care. They also hope to establish a community mental health hub in his name—a lasting legacy that could support others in crisis.

Despite the profound grief and the fact that Tyran has not yet been laid to rest, Ms Jones said she is speaking out while the pain is still raw to bring about meaningful change.

“I want my son remembered,” she said. “His life has to mean something. It can’t have been for nothing. If his story can help others, then I have to tell it.”

BY BBC