Girl, 10, took her own life because her empathy made her a target for bullies, family says

A 10-year-old Virginia miss took her ain beingness aft being targeted by bullies for defending others, her household has said.

Autumn Brooke Bushman, 10, of Roanoke, died connected March 21. Her parents, Mark and Summer Bushman, and 2 older siblings are reeling from the abrupt and unexpected loss.

According to her obituary, Autumn was a kid who had “deep empathy, was soft-hearted, and ever acceptable to lend a listening receptor oregon connection support.”

While her parents were reportedly alert she was being bullied, things began to spiral successful the past fewer weeks.

“If idiosyncratic was getting bullied oregon picked on, she would basal up for them. And unfortunately, that whitethorn person made her a people for much bullying,” Summer Bushman told WDBJ7.

Autumn began making antithetic changes to her mundane life: she began wearing darker clothes, laughing and joking little astir her loved ones, and sleeping for longer, her begetter told WSLS successful a abstracted interview.

This behaviour was atypical for a young miss who had an “infectious laughter and fantastic consciousness of humor” and loved taking portion successful cheer, track, dance, and archery.

Autumn was said to person “brought joyousness to those astir her, making each infinitesimal brighter,” her household wrote successful the obituary.

The bullying, her parents say, began astatine the commencement of the schoolhouse twelvemonth astatine Mountain View Elementary School past August, wherever Autumn was successful the 4th grade.

Her parent said she discussed termination consciousness with her 12 and 17-year-old children successful the past but ne'er expected this to beryllium thing she needed to sermon with her 10-year-old.

According to her parents, the Roanoke County Public Schools territory told Summer Bushman that it was handling the bullying allegations aft the household archetypal reported them.

“They said they had handled it, and that was astir arsenic acold arsenic it went.

“But, arsenic acold arsenic we know, what we were told—at slightest by our daughter—was that it kept happening,” Mark Bushman said successful his WSLS interview.

“This is an property wherever they person tablets and they person phones, truthful it’s happening astir the clock. They can’t truly escape,” helium added.

In a connection provided to the outlet, the Roanoke County Public Schools described Autumn’s decease arsenic a “tragic loss” and said that they would “stand successful enactment of the family, friends, and Mountain View community.”

The schoolhouse did not corroborate bullying but said they were investigating and shared that students would beryllium offered further counseling services upon returning from outpouring interruption adjacent week to assistance them header with the “profound grief.”

“While we cannot sermon the specifics of this concern owed to national privateness laws and retired of respect for the family, we are conducting a thorough review. Our schools instrumentality each reports of bullying and conflicts among students precise seriously”, the connection read.

“Our schools amended students and respond appropriately to circumstantial situations erstwhile we are made aware, including moving with parents and families of students involved.”

The Bushmans are present desperately seeking answers arsenic they grapple with their nonaccomplishment and urged different parents to show their children’s phones.

“My biggest connection to parents is to delight spell done your child’s compartment phone,” said Summer.

The heartbroken parent said, “Go done your child’s compartment telephone to marque definite that they are being benignant to different children [and] to marque definite children are being benignant to them.”

Autumn was allowed to ain a telephone but was forbidden from utilizing societal media, insisted her mother.

Mark Bushman posted a striking connection connected Facebook Monday, encouraging different parents to instrumentality a basal against bullying.

“Putting an extremity to bullying is not thing achieved by individuals operating alone; it is done by a assemblage banding together. Meaningful alteration volition travel if we absorption our vigor not connected warring the aged but connected gathering the new. Let’s springiness these kids a beingness worthy surviving done accountability and coagulated resources, some astatine location and successful the schoolhouse system”, helium wrote.

A ceremonial work is scheduled to beryllium held successful Roanoke connected Friday, and the household is holding “A Celebration of Autumn’s Life” a time later, to which the nationalist is invited.

The Independent contacted the Roanoke County Public Schools for comment.

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