Twelve-Year-Old Kills Himself in 'Choking Game'

Police say a 12-year-old Southern California boy is dead after he apparently asphyxiated himself for thrills in the so-called "choking game." The boy died last week after tying a rope to his neck inside his home, the Santa Monica Police Department said yesterday. Officers found him in cardiac arrest, and he died at the hospital soon after.

Police say the case is being investigated as an accidental death. The goal of the "choking game" is to temporarily cut off blood supply and oxygen to the brain to cause a quick euphoric sensation. According to the CDC, 82 children died playing the game between 1995 and 2007. (More accidental death stories.)