Zander Tashman: Texas student accused of helping teen GF kill herself after her body was found in pond

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

FRISCO, TEXAS: After allegedly aiding his girlfriend, then 17 years old, in killing herself by drowning in a pond last year, an 18-year-old man in Texas has been taken into custody and faces felony charges.

Authorities said that Zander Tashman was arrested and charged with one count of helping Ellyse Suarez kill herself.

What happened to Ellyse Suare?

Officers were dispatched in response to a report of "suspicious activity" at Frisco Commons Park in the 8000 block of McKinney Road on November 20, 2023. according to a press release issued by the Frisco Police Department. 

First responders reported that they discovered a 17-year-old girl's body in the pond, later identified as Suarez. In what seemed to be a suicide, she was declared dead at the scene. The cause of Suarez's death was eventually identified as drowning.

“After an exhaustive investigation, evidence collected in the case indicated that 18-year-old Zander Tashman of Frisco aided the deceased, his 17-year-old girlfriend, in committing suicide,” police wrote in the release.

Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest, and Tashman was taken into custody on February 18, 2024.

Facilitating another person's suicide is a state jail felony that carries a minimum sentence of six months and a maximum sentence of two years in a state correctional facility, along with a $10,000 maximum fine.

The police have not provided any more information about the investigation or described the evidence used to get Tashman arrested.

Ellyse Suare's mom speaks out about Zander Tashman

Azucena Massey, the mother of Suarez, told NBCDFW that although she was also unaware of Tashman's investigation, it disturbed her that he was being held responsible for her daughter's suicide.

“It’s scary in a way because it makes me question, do I even want to know? Is it going to make me more angry? Because I don’t want to feel angry when I think about my daughter,” Massey informed the station, Tashman and her daughter had been dating intermittently throughout high school.

According to Massey, her daughter's relationship with Tashman was "very meaningful to her" and something she wished would "work out so dearly," which might have caused her to make rash choices.

She added that her daughter was battling depression. Through their lawyer, Reynie Tinajero, Tashman and his family issued a statement regarding the arrest, which they maintain was unjustified.

“Zander (Tashman) and his family wish this horrible tragedy had never taken place either. I’m sorry authorities made a poor and probably emotional choice to blame Zander (Tashman) and to do so in a public way,” the statement read.

“We’ll be making our case in a court of law. Zander (Tashman) is an exemplary college student with no prior history of criminal behavior. Zander is innocent,” the statement further read.