‘Who’s there for the kids?’: Joplin community seeks answers after Afghan teen found dead
Rezwan Kohistani was promised a new life when he escaped the conflict in Afghanistan, fleeing to the Joplin area last fall with his parents, three brothers and five-year-old sister.
But that new chapter did not last long.
On May 5, the 14 year old was found dead near a baseball field at Webb City High School in an alleged suicide. Webb City police continue to investigate the circumstances.
According to Webb City R-7 School District Superintendent Tony Rossetti, the freshman was discovered on the district’s property by a staff member.
Police were dispatched to the school, where Kohistani was found dead upon their arrival, said Webb City Police Chief Don Melton. There were no initial signs of foul play and the body was transported to Springfield for an autopsy. He said the department expects results from the report in six to eight weeks.
Rossetti said students and staff were notified the day of Kohistani’s death and counselors were provided for support.
In the days since his death, community members have searched for answers. Few knew the family well, but those familiar with the Kohistanis said they struggled with English and kept to themselves. Some believe the death was a product of bullying, as the Kohistanis were quickly labeled as one of the only Muslim families in the district. Others have pointed to the weight of starting over that the teen carried on his shoulders.
Tabassum Saba remembers delivering a care package to the Kohistani family when they first arrived in the area.
“We have a small Muslim community and we did whatever we could,” she said.
Saba said she would try to check in with them and invite them out with others in the Muslim community.
She knew what it meant to feel like an outsider in the area — decades ago she had immigrated to Joplin from Pakistan.
“As refugees who are already in great fear, who have gone through so much and have severe language difficulties, it’s hard,” she said.
“This is a wake up call. When we bring refugees to this country, maybe their parents can handle it, but the kids, who’s there for the kids?”
The day after the teen’s death, Saba attended his funeral at the mosque on West 32nd Street in Joplin.
She remembers seeing his mother crying and the family’s young daughter attempting to console her.
“They were in utter shock,” Saba said. “And then what was even more heartbreaking was seeing other teenagers in the Muslim community and Afghan refugees. Those kids, already under severe stress, I could feel their stress and shock.”
“He was just a teenager like all the other teenagers you see around and he had a beautiful smile. He was just so vulnerable.”
According to a message on social media by the Islamic Society of Joplin, the teen “was a beautiful soul, whose life ended tragically leaving behind a heartbroken family.”
On May 7, Saba started a fundraiser for the family, who are relocating to Texas. As of Thursday, the campaign has raised over $8,000.
A candlelight vigil is being held for the teen at 8 p.m. May 21 at King Jack Park in Webb City, which is about 150 miles south of Kansas City.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Missouri Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations are aware of Kohistani’s case, but have not responded to requests for comment.
‘A gap in care’
Sofia Khan, executive director of the nonprofit KC for Refugees, said providing mental health resources to children who have fled to the Kansas City metro from Afghanistan has been a challenge.
“For many, you have to deal first with the trauma sustained from leaving home and then trauma sustained from having to adjust to this country,” she said.
The organization is working with a team of psychiatrists to put together a program so culturally appropriate ways to address mental health will be available to arriving families.
“Right now there is a gap in care and people are suffering,” she said. “And nothing is being done in a structured way.”
According to Khan, providers have to be able to work with refugee children who may be struggling with English. They also need to understand that the issue of mental health is stigmatized in the Afghan community.
“If someone is having issues with mental health they’re considered a crazy person,” she said. “So there is a taboo and a shame and a disconnect to even recognizing mental health.”
Last week, Khan said she met with representatives from the state health departments in Kansas and Missouri to raise awareness about the mental health needs of refugee children.
The Missouri Department of Mental Health said it is collaborating with KC Community Organizations Active in Disaster and local health centers on mental health services for Afghan refugees, said Debra Walker, a spokeswoman for the department.
The state health department in Kansas did not respond to a request for comment.
Past reports by the American Psychiatric Association show few refugees are referred for mental health care services. But a study in 2021 showed nearly half of Afghan refugees surveyed suffered from PTSD.
