The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office investigated the death Monday morning of Sean Michael Henderson, 48, who took his life with a gun while parked in his car at property off State Road 11 in Bunnell, south of Cody’s Corner.
Henderson, a resident of Crescent City, had been staying with a friend in Bunnell for the previous two weeks following a break-up.
A friend of Henderson’s told deputies that his 47-year-old girlfriend, also of Crescent City, had contacted her and told her she was concerned about Henderson’s wellbeing, after the two of them had been in an argument. He had stopped responding to texts or calls at 2:45 Monday morning. The friend went to the property off of SR11 to check on Henderson and saw his vehicle, a Chevy Equinox, in the =yard, its lights on and the engine running, according to the sheriff’s report.
The woman then alerted the property owner, at whose home Henderson had been staying. The property owner told deputies that Henderson had been struggling through a series of setbacks–his childhood sweetheart recently dying, the break-up with his girlfriend. He had last seen Henderson the previous day at 4 p.m., when Henderson drove him to a deer-season hunting stand. Henderson didn’t intimate anything about self-harm during the drive, nor did his behavior seem worrisome. He had been drinking heavily, but that was not a change in behavior.
According to the sheriff’s report, Henderson’s friend told deputies that “he wished to note that he believed the gun that Sean was holding belonged to his brother because the safe in his brother’s room was found to be opened. He is not sure how Sean would have known the code to unlock the safe.”
The sheriff’s office followed its normal protocols at the scene, dispatching its Crime Scene Investigation unit and detectives and turning over the body to the medical examiner for an autopsy, which was to be conducted in St. Augustine. The incident took place at 12500 SR11. Henderson was a resident of 495 Clifton Road in Crescent City.
The following resources are available for individuals in crisis:
In Flagler: The Crisis Triage and Treatment Unit (CTTU) is a crisis assessment and referral service for Flagler County residents experiencing behavioral health crisis. It is located at 301 Justice Lane in the Brown & Brown Outpatient building at the Vince Carter Sanctuary in Bunnell. This program is limited to individuals escorted to the program by law enforcement between the hours of noon and midnight daily. Law enforcement is able to transport individuals to SMA to assess and determine the appropriate clinical disposition. When required and appropriate, SMA then transports the individual to a receiving facility in Volusia County.
In Daytona Beach: Stewart-Marchman Act Corporation Crisis Center
1220 Willis Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Crisis Line: (800) 539 – 4228
Available 24 hours.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800/273-8255 (TALK), or use the online Lifeline Crisis Chat, both available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255.
People 60 and older can call the Institute on Aging’s 24-hour, toll-free Friendship Line at 800-971-0016. IOA also makes ongoing outreach calls to lonely older adults.
If you are concerned for someone else, read about warning signs here. For additional resources, see the Speaking of Suicide website.
