A Mom Filmed Her Son Playing with His Little Brothers, Not Knowing It Would Become One of Their Final Family Videos

Four months after Alli Skrbek captured the video, her son Alex Fornerod died by suicide at age 22

Last winter, an Arizona mom took a sweet video of her eldest son play-fighting with his younger brothers. She had no idea it would be one of the final times the siblings laughed together.

When her eldest son, Alex Fornerod, was home for Christmas last year, Alli Skrbek — a mom of four from Prescott Valley — filmed the 22-year-old joking around with two of his three younger brothers, Grant, 13, Jack, 8, and Barrett, 21 months.

But she didn’t share the video until June, more than two months after Alex’s death. The 22-year-old died by suicide on the night of March 30, Skrbek said on her TikTok account. (His obituary lists his official date of death as April 1.)

Skrbek is using her account to share Alex’s story, and her own, and to urge anyone going through something similar to seek help, she told Newsweek. It’s the same reason she shared the sweet sibling moment.

@alli_mom

He left behind 3 little brothes that he koved with all his heart. #depressionanxiety #depression #suicideawareness #suicidepreventionawarenes #suicide #lossofachild #childloss

♬ Dancing in the Sky – Sam Barber

“This is 4 months before my son took his life,” Skrbek wrote over the clip, which has garnered more than 12 million views. “This was him in active depression. I didn’t see it.”

Skrbek shared more about her son’s struggle with depression with Newsweek. Alex went to live with his grandparents four years ago, but quickly moved back home after getting into trouble, she said. Upon his return, his behavior was different.

“Something shifted in Alex, and he wasn’t the same,” Skrbek told the outlet. “He was always angry, agitated or drunk. We thought it was alcohol — we didn’t know he was struggling with depression.”

Alex later moved out and got a new job, and Skrbek thought he was doing better. But after moving in with his aunt and cousins in November 2024, things took a turn for the worse, she told Newsweek. It was hard to tell, however, given how happy he seemed during his Christmas trip home, she said.

“During that visit, he hardly drank and we laughed like old times. He was very loving — that was my son,” Skrbek recalled to the outlet. “He always had such a beautiful heart and deep love for his brothers and his momma.”

“It was so nice to have happy Alex again,” she added. It was seemingly nice for everyone, including her younger sons, who can be seen smiling and laughing with their older brother in Skrbek’s viral TikTok.

The video is one of the final recorded moments they shared as a family.

On March 30, Alex sent his mom a text that said, “I’m so thankful I have you. I love you mom,” according to Newsweek. The following morning, she learned that he had died by suicide, she told the outlet.

“Had I known that would be the last time I’d hug my son, or known he was struggling with depression, there are so many things I would go back and change,” Skrbek told Newsweek. 

Since opening up about Alex on TikTok, the mom of four has received an outpouring of kind words and supportive gestures — including someone who made a song in Alex’s honor — and she has no plans of stopping.

“I truly appreciate the support,” Skrbek told PEOPLE in a statement. “We desperately need more awareness and help breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness. And more support for parents grieving the loss.”

Added Skrbek: “Support all around is needed.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.