Rancho Cucamonga, California – The community of Rancho Cucamonga is reeling from the tragic loss of Connor Furtain, a senior at Los Osos High School, who took his own life on September 27, 2024.
This heartbreaking event occurred just weeks after a similar tragedy at the same location involving another student, Emily Gold, highlighting a disturbing pattern and raising urgent questions about the mental health support available to local youth.
Connor Furtain’s death happened on the Interstate 210 overpass, known as the Foothill Freeway, where Emily Gold also died by suicide less than three weeks prior.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed Furtain’s involvement in this devastating incident, which has deeply affected both the school and the wider community.
The loss of two young lives in such a short time has left the Rancho Cucamonga community grappling with grief and concern over how to prevent further tragedies.
Friends, family, and community members have taken to social media to express their sorrow and disbelief.
Lindsey Spark Shah shared on Facebook, “2 kids now at my son’s school… within 2 WEEKS apart… have passed away THE SAME WAY at the SAME PLACE!!!!! This kid was in the drumline with my son in his band!!!! I’m absolutely FLOORED!!!! What is happening????”
Bernadette HoneyBee Ferraris expressed her distress, writing, “Oh my goodness. I pray for this generation. What is really going on?”
The back-to-back losses of Connor Furtain and Emily Gold, both beloved students known for their kindness and active roles in school activities, have thrown the school into a period of mourning and have highlighted the critical need for increased mental health resources for students.
As the community processes these profound losses, many are calling for urgent attention to the mental well-being of young people in Southern California, hoping to prevent future tragedies and ensure that no other family endures such pain.