6-year-old Illinois boy with 'a fearless spirit' died after inhaling helium from balloon just days after birthday

An Illinois boy – who had just celebrated his sixth birthday – tragically died after inhaling helium from a Mylar balloon, family and officials said.

Gunner Hyatt likely suffocated to death when he breathed in the inert gas inside his Mt. Carmel home on May 29, according to the Wabash County Coroner’s Office, which responded to the grim

scene.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the cause of death is consistent with suffocation due to a Mylar-helium filled balloon,” coroner Shaun Keepes said Wednesday, adding a warning to the

public about the “unrecognized” dangers of the large, child-sized balloons.

“While often seen as harmless decorations, these balloons can pose serious risks – particularly to young children – including the rare but devastating possibility of suffocation and/or

helium toxicity.”

Additional testing and toxicology are pending to determine the young boy’s official cause of death, which local police are also investigating. 

Gunner, who had just completed Kindergarten at Mount Carmel Elementary School, was remembered as a cheerful and adventurous child whose “laughter brightened every room,” according to his

obituary.

“He was the happiest outdoors-whether he was playing baseball, fishing by the water or exploring the woods hunting,” his obituary read.

“He had a huge love for monster trucks and never missed a chance to go mud riding with his family. Gunner lived life with a fearless spirit, a playful heart, and a smile that will never be

forgotten.”

The boy, whose birthday was on May 21, was the youngest of three children.

The youngster’s grief-stricken aunt, Bethany Hyatt, described him as “an absolute joy and such a thrilling child to be around.”

“There’s not a person that knew him that would say he wasn’t an incredible child,” Hyatt wrote on Facebook May 30.

“There are no words to express how deeply we are feeling his absence. He will forever be in our thoughts and we will never truly recover from this. He touched so many lives in his short time

here with us.”

The boy’s funeral will be held Friday afternoon at the Chapel of Keepes Funeral Home.

In a similar case in 2023, a young Tennessee girl was killed by her own birthday balloons just days after she celebrated turning 7 years old. The child’s mom warned other parents about the

potential hazards of foil helium balloons after her daughter, Alexandra Hope Kelly, was suffocated by a large number “7” Mylar balloon.