Truly a sensational photograph that captures a sad reality in Sudan, the story behind this image is full of mystery and tragedy.

No one knows what happened to the starving girl in the picture. 

She stopped to rest while trying to make it to a feeding center and was stalked by a vulture.  The photographer, Kevin Carter, snapped the shot of her suffering and left the scene.

After selling his photograph to The New York Times and winning a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, he was heavily criticized for not helping the girl reach her destination.

About a year and 4 months later, he committed suicide by attaching a hose to his pickup truck’s exhaust pipe and running it through the passenger side window. 

He died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

We can only hope the girl had a more promising fate.