Jacob Shepherd, seated at right, died Monday by suicide at 22. Shepherd, a Durango High School alumnus, played baseball for the Demons and earned a scholarship to Trinidad State Junior College with his twin brother, Kyle.
Jacob Shepherd, seated at right, died Monday by suicide at 22. Shepherd, a Durango High School alumnus, played baseball for the Demons and earned a scholarship to Trinidad State Junior College with his twin brother, Kyle.Durango Herald file photo

Durango resident Jacob Shepherd, 22, died Monday by suicide, according to La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.

Shepherd is survived by a wife and young daughter, she said.

He was working as a dental assistant at Dental Associates of the Southwest at the time of his death.

“Jake meant a lot to me,” said Dr. Chris Wenburg, owner and associate of the dental practice. “His young daughter was the drive of his life.”

Shepherd attended Escalante Middle School, where he was an honor-roll student, and graduated from Durango High School, where he was a pitcher on the Demons’ varsity baseball team. He received a scholarship for his skills on the diamond at Trinidad State Junior College along with his twin brother, Kyle.

“He was a hard worker and excelled at school,” Wenburg said.

Shepherd was getting ready to start his final year at Fort Lewis College, where he was majoring in cellular and molecular biology. Wenburg said he had recently written recommendations for Shepherd for dental school.

“I didn’t have him in class,” FLC biology professor John Condie said, “but there were a lot of tears shed in the department when we got the news (Tuesday).”

Shepherd had decided to become a dentist after volunteering at the La Plata Community Clinic and working at Dental Associates since June 2014.

“When he was writing his letter about his intentions while applying to dental school,” Wenburg said, “he said he was changed when volunteering there, and with the birth of his daughter, he wanted to do everything he could for her.”

Shepherd is the fifth suicide in 2015 in La Plata County, Smith said.

In 2014, 10 people died by suicide in the county.

In 2012, Colorado reached a record high in suicides at 1,053, with 16 in La Plata County, Smith said. In 2013, Colorado had the sixth-highest suicide rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Several community groups are working on creating resources for people struggling with thoughts of suicide, family members and friends who are worried about someone who might be having suicidal thoughts and support for people who have lost someone to suicide.

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To get help

Help for people having suicidal thoughts or loved ones who fear a person is considering killing themselves can be found from these sources:
In La Plata County, visit www.sucap.org and click on Suicide Prevention for a list of trained gatekeepers.
Call the Axis Health Systems 24-hour Hotline at 247-5245.
Contact a mental-health professional; or for a referral, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255).
Crossroads Center at 403-0180.
Boys & Girls Club Hotline: at (800) 448-3000.
Safe2Tell at (866) 542-7233.
Colorado Crisis Support Line at (844) 493-8255. The line has mental-health professionals available to talk to adults or youths about any crisis.
Second Wind Fund at 946-9586. The fund is available to youths who face social or financial barriers to crisis counseling. The organization doesn’t take direct calls but requires a referral by a school counselor or mental-health professional.
Fort Lewis College Counseling Center at 247-7212.
A website for adult men contemplating suicide, who often are unwilling to seek help, is available at www.mantherapy.org.
When to call 911
The American Association of Suicidology has identified indicators that a person may be considering suicide and corresponding actions a concerned family member or friend should take. These are signs of a heightened risk of suicide in the near future, and it’s often a combination of symptoms rather than one or two:
Someone is threatening to hurt or kill themselves.
A person is seeking access to a way to kill themselves such as pills or weapons.
Someone is talking or writing about death, dying or suicide.
The Durango Chapter of Heartbeat for people who have lost loved ones to suicide meets from 6 to 8 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at Durango Fire Protection District Station No. 1, 142 Sheppard Drive in Bodo Industrial Park. For more information, call 403-4103 or 749-1673.