Off The Record
Heartbroken Parents Of 10-Year-Old Who Died By Suicide Share Warning Signs They Noticed
The parents of a 10-year-old girl who sadly died by suicide have talked about the changes they noticed in her prior to her death.
In the weeks leading up to the March 21 tragedy, Autumn Bushman, a fourth-grader at Roanoke’s Mountain View Elementary School, had displayed symptoms of distress.
Before she passed away, her parents, Mark and Summer Bushman, claim to have seen tragic changes in their daughter.
“She was the youngest and probably the wildest,” Autumn’s mother Summer said. “She was a ball full of energy. It didn’t matter if you thought she was going to fall through my living room floor. She was at it with the cartwheels inside of my house at all times.”
However, that spark started to wane in the weeks preceding the disaster.
The couple told WDBJ that they saw their daughter started to sleep more, smile less, and dress darker than usual.
They also claim that despite having complained to the school about bullying, the harassment persisted.
Autumn’s mother clarified that the reason her daughter was being harassed was because she defended other children.
“She was one if somebody was getting bullied or picked on, she would stand up for them. And unfortunately, that may have made her a target for more bullying,” Summer Bushman said.
The Bushmans claim that after reporting the bullying to school administrators, they received assurances that the matter was being addressed. Their daughter, however, had a different account.
“But, as far as we know, what we were told – at least by our daughter – was that it kept happening,” her father, Mark, said.
He went on to say that the constant bullying didn’t just happen at school.
“This is an age where they have tablets and they have phones, so it’s happening around the clock. They can’t really escape,” he said.
According to the Daily Mail, the school responded with a statement stating that they are investigating the events leading up to Autumn’s passing.
“While we cannot discuss the specifics of this situation due to federal privacy laws and out of respect for the family, we are conducting a thorough review,” the school said. “Our schools take all reports of bullying and conflicts among students very seriously.”
The tragedy has left friends, family, and the larger Roanoke community in shock.
Cher Nelson Johnson, a family friend, posted a video montage of Autumn’s brief life along with a heartfelt remembrance.
“So heartbreaking,” she wrote. “This photograph is of a loving, sweet, young soul who has taken their own life today due to bullying. A beautiful Roanoke girl is gone too soon.”
“If you could, please keep Summer Bushman and her family in your thoughts during this devastating time of loss of her 10-year-old daughter Autumn Brooke Bushman…”
“Check on your people. Speak to your children about bullying. Bullying has to come to an end!”
To pay tribute to Autumn and spread awareness of the terrible toll bullying can have on young lives, her family has extended an invitation to the public to attend her visitation and funeral service this weekend.
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