What Happened to Dalton Weise? Moncks Corner Teen Bull Rider Died at Age 14

Content Warning: This article mentions suicide.

A South Carolina community is grieving the loss of Dalton Weise, a teen bull rider who died on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the age of 14.

Dalton grew up in Moncks Corner, S.C., and was well on his way to becoming a star in the rodeo world. Unfortunately, his life ended far too soon. Here's what to know.

News of Dalton's death circulated on social media soon after he died on Sept. 11. According to his obituary, he died in his Moncks Corner home. On Thursday, Sept. 12, Moncks Corner Pro Rodeo, where he competed multiple times, shared a heartfelt post that was shared on Dalton's father, Johnny "J.D." Weise's Facebook account.

"We want to send our sincere condolences to the Weise family," the business wrote.

"Our hearts break for this family. So many prayers to y’all. God gained such a sweet angel. We will miss seeing this hometown cowboy in the arena."

Dalton's dad's Facebook page shows that he was remembered by his family, friends, several teachers at his school, Berkeley High School, and people he met while pursuing his rodeo career. According to his obituary, he was active in the sport, participating in several associations like NHSRA, SCHSRA, and SJBRA.

Kayla Beard, a former teacher of Dalton's who had him in class when he was just 6 years old, shared a tribute to him on Facebook, writing, "I’ll remember that sweet kid that walked through my door all those years ago forever. I’ll never forget the joy he brought to me, and how he made my bad days better with a simple hug and smile. Thank you, Dalton, for touching my life."

Dalton's death saddens his community due to his age and how his death likely happened. While his family hasn't given an exact cause of death, on Sept. 13, Dalton's father shared a post that read, "Stay; tomorrow needs you" with a Suicide Prevention Awareness ribbon. The post also noted that September is Suicide Prevention Month and encouraged others to "check in with family and friends" because you never know what they're going through.

Dalton's bull riding career began at Shady Acres Rodeo, where he became a Rockin G Mafia bull riding team member. In addition to bull riding, he was skilled at Black Force MMA, won countless gold medals, and pursued wrestling. He had recently participated in the Wrangler YBR and was ranked the ninth top youth bull rider in the world.

Dalton was the son of J.D. Weise and Amanda Brewer Weise and the brother of Madisyn and Craig Weise. His family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Jed Foundation or similar suicide prevention programs. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.