Mother of man who died by self-immolation talks mental health

The mother of a man who died by self-immolation last month wants to use her son’s death to remind people to be kind to those with mental health issues.

“Understand that whoever it is, that homeless person, they have family,” said Corla White, 50. “They’re just down on their luck right now. The person that’s talking to themselves, say a prayer for them. You never know what can change in that person’s life and give them hope to keep going.”

Corla White’s 28-year-old son, Marquin White, set himself on fire around 6:10 p.m. April 7 and ran through the intersection of East Sahara Avenue and South Lamb Boulevard. Marquin White was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries at the time.

Corla White said her son had been running away from the group home he lived in, near Sahara and Lamb, and occasionally did not take the medicine he was prescribed for schizophrenia. She said Marquin White’s father, Donald White, brought him back to the home April 6, but when she tried to reach her son just after 6 p.m. April 7, he wasn’t answering texts or calls.

Corla White filed a missing persons report April 9, and by the time a detective got back to her on April 13, the coroner needed her to come identify her son’s body.

“That’s how I found out he passed away,” she said.

The Clark County coroner’s office said Marquin White died April 9 at University Medical Center. His cause of death was self-immolation, and the manner of death was ruled suicide.

Corla said her family is doubtful of Marquin White’s diagnosis for schizophrenia, which she called a blanket term for mentally ill adults. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 21, but Corla White said that after four years as a special education teacher, she believes he had autism.

“Don’t listen to the doctors; don’t listen to the teachers,” she urged parents who think their children may have mental illness. “You know your babies. Go to a different doctor because once they’re 18 and undiagnosed, you have no rights. I can’t tell you the number of times that they would release him from the hospital and say, ‘Oh, he’s grown; he’s of age.’”

White gave birth to two boys, Clarence Young and Marquin White, and a daughter, Corla White Jr., 25. Clarence Young, 31, was killed in a crash in 2019, and with Marquin White gone, Corla White Sr. said she’s trying to stay strong and keep her promise to her son not to cry.

“I miss my boys and I love them, but I know they’re still here,” she said. “When I would drop him off to the group home, (Marquin) would tell me very clear-eyed, ‘Ma, I need you to be OK.’”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255, provides 24/7 access to trained telephone counselors. The Crisis Text Line is a free, national service available 24/7. Text HOME to 741741.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.