The latest instances involve a mix of boys and girls, ages 9, 10, 11, and 15 in North Philadelphia. Privacy laws prevent Saint Christopher's Hospital for Children from providing more detailed information, even how many, if any, survived or if the children knew each other.
But sources tell Action News there were two cases in the last ten days in Northeast Philadelphia.
In one, an 11-year-old girl was found dead, after she hung herself at home. Action News is told she was an honor student until this past semester when her grades dropped to a D average.
In another case, a 9-year-old boy was sent to his room after being punished. When his mother went to check on him, she found him dead, hanging in his room.
While the hospital can't comment on specifics, they believe the two most likely causes are suicide or what's called the Choking Game, the point of which is to cut off blood flow to the brain to the point of blacking out, creating a high.
It goes by a number of names including California Choke, Space Cowboy, Space Monkey, and Airplaning and students near one North Philadelphia school tell Action News they've heard of classmates trying it.
"They hear about it and see if you can get a little dazed, see if you can feel a high, and then it passes from one person to another, to another to another," a student said.
Dr. Evan Weiner of Pediatric Emergency Medicines is aware of this deadly game.
"The concern there may be some copying done, certainly with the Choking Game, certainly we know it's something in schools that's discussed. In one study said that up to 75% of school kids knows what the Choking game is," Dr. Weiner said.
And while the reasons behind a child hanging themselves because of the Choking Game versus suicide are very different, doctors are urging parents to be on the lookout for warning signs and symptoms.
For the Choking Game signs may be marks on your child's neck, bloodshot eyes, knots tied in shirt-sleeves, belts, and ropes, and wear-marks on bed posts and closet rods. Red flags that your child might be suicidal include signs of depression, such as changes in sleeping or eating habits, withdrawal from friends, family, or normal activities, or even giving verbal hints.
To reiterate, the reasons behind the four cases are still unclear.
But in the two cases described by sources, for the 9-year-old boy and the 11-year-old girl, the investigation continues. Sources say police obtained search warrants for their computers and handed them over to the FBI to check for cyber-bullying or any other reason for their deaths.
