Charles Rowland - Dead Boy Detectives: Season One

Born in 1973 in the UK, Charles Rowland was a big-hearted teen who only wished to make his parents proud of him. However, he soon came to realise that no matter what he did, nor how good he was, he would always be seen as a failure in his father's eyes. Regularly beaten, he came to resent his dad and fear for his mum's safety. 

Sent away to St. Hilarions School for Boys, he would often get into fights with fellow students, who looked down and abused him because he was mixed-race. Because of this he would look out for others and defend them when they needed help, making him an even bigger target in the long term.  

Chased into the school lake late one night, bullies attacked him with rocks, leading to hypothermia and internal bleeding that would later be the cause of his death. Though he managed to escape and was chased into the woods, he eventually made it back to the school. 

Hiding out in one of the disused attics, he began to succumb to hypothermia. This state of near and impending death allowed him to see The Spirit of Edwin Payne, much to the ghost's surprise. The latter had only wanted to bring the boy a gas lantern so he could warm himself, having been moved by his act of courage earlier that day. 

Beginning to converse, the pair became fast friends, till at last, Charles Rowland died. He was just 16 years old. However, his spirit would live on. 

Refusing to move on to the afterlife, Rowland and his new friend would go on to have all new adventures as one of the founding members of the Dead Boy Detective Agency. 

Because the school covered up Rowland's death, the incident was swept under the carpet and was never resolved. This anger at the injustice of his death only motivated him further, ensuring that other ghosts and spirits found the closure and justice they needed. 

While Charles appears to be always happy and upbeat, on the surface, the unresolved anger, pain and resentment in his life caused him to have problems controlling his temper. After a violent outburst against the Night Nurse forced him to confront these feelings head-on, he has since agreed to open up more to Edwin and his new friends, Niko Sasaki and Crystal Palace Surname-Von Hoverkraft, the latter of whom he developed romantic feelings for.