Indiana, 10-year-old commits suicide after being targeted by bullies

Editor’s note: This article is about suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find them on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. People are available to talk 24/7.

(NewsNation) – Indiana father Sam Teusch says he and his family have been in a waking nightmare since his son killed himself earlier this month after being relentlessly bullied.

It had been an otherwise ordinary Sunday. Sam Teusch was in the kitchen, making eggs and pancakes. Then he found his 10-year-old child, Sammy Teusch, unconscious in his bedroom. The boy’s body was warm, but he was not breathing, so Teusch performed CPR, while talking to his son.

“I kept thinking, ‘If you hear my voice, you won’t leave me,’” Teusch recalled in an interview with NewsNation.

Sammy’s father said he replayed this scene in his head over and over.

“Listen, Dad,” Teusch said to Sammy as he held his son. “You hear me; you are a fighter. Get up, come on.

Sammy’s family told NewsNation that he had the most loving heart — the kind of little boy who used his birthday money to buy gifts for his parents and siblings rather than for himself and who spent his vacation in Florida picking up trash on the beach because he wanted to. leave him more beautiful than he found him.

“Sammy was the best kid with a wonderful personality. He was smart, funny, charming and deeply empathetic,” said a GoFundMe set up for his family. “He brightened the lives of everyone he met and was the life of the “party.” »

Despite his friendly demeanor, Sammy had been the target of bullies who made fun of his teeth and glasses. He was attacked on the school bus, bullies stole his iPad and used it to hit Sammy in the head. The boy returned home with his glasses broken, a black eye and scratches on his face and neck. Just last week he was attacked again, this time in the toilet.

Teusch said Sammy’s school, part of the Greenfield-Central Community Schools system, was aware of the problem because his parents had contacted staff and teachers more than 20 times about the harassment. The school itself was calling Teusch to tell him that Sammy was scared, hiding in the closet or under the desk.

Only recently did Teusch learn that the night before his son’s death, Sammy had been threatened with being attacked while walking to school on Monday.

Now, other parents are coming forward to NewsNation to ask: What is going on in this school district?

The Olson family said they discovered their son Braylon was also contemplating suicide at just 11 years old after being bullied because of his weight and speech impediment during gym class. The graphic details of his plan constantly replay in his mother’s mind.

Brandy Olson said they made all the necessary changes to help their son with therapy and medication. Olson even quit his job for the state so he would never be left alone. However, no changes have occurred at the school. The bully is still in Olson’s child’s class and is regularly tormented. But when that happens, it’s not the bullies who are asked to leave the classroom — it’s Olson’s son who does.

Justin Henderson, the father of Sammy’s best friend Josh, says his son was also the target of bullies who called him fat, ugly and the N-word.

There were two occasions, Henderson said, where he had to pick up his child from school with head injuries. Although a list of bully names was provided to the school, no changes were made.

Henderson says her son even considered ending his life.

“For me, as a parent, to have to listen to my child say that he wants to kill himself because no one stands up for him, someone is bullying him or causing problems for him – that’s a problem for me as a parent” , Henderson said.

Greenfield-Central Community Schools said in a statement to local NewsNation affiliate WXIN that it and the Greenfield Police Department are investigating Sammy’s death. The district confirmed that over the past 18 months, contact between school staff and Sammy’s parents was “frequent.”

“Our thoughts are with the family at this time,” the statement said.

Deputy Chief Charles McMichael of the Greenfield Police Department said the investigation is still ongoing and little information can be shared at this time. But the police department sent WXIN a statement urging parents to talk to their children.

“The more conversations you have about daily life, the more comfortable they will be talking about the difficult things,” the statement said.