Editor’s note: This article mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at 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 ever since his son died by suicide earlier this month after being relentlessly bullied.
It had been an otherwise unremarkable Sunday. Sam Teusch was in the kitchen, making eggs and pancakes. Then, he found his 10-year-old child, Sammy Teusch, unresponsive in his bedroom. The boy’s body was warm, but he wasn’t breathing, so Teusch did CPR, talking to his son as he did.
“I kept thinking, ‘If you just hear my voice, you’re not gonna leave me,'” Teusch recalled in an interview with NewsNation.
Sammy’s father said he replays that scene in his head over and over again.
“Listen to daddy,” Teusch told Sammy as he held his son in his arms. “You hear me; you’re a fighter. Get up, come on.”
Sammy Teusch’s family told NewsNation he had the most loving heart — the kind of little boy who used his birthday money to buy presents for his parents and siblings rather than for himself.
“Sammy was the best kid with a wonderful personality. He was smart, funny, charming and deeply empathetic,” a GoFundMe set up for his family said. “He brightened the lives of anyone he encountered 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, with bullies stealing his iPad and using 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 bathroom.
Teusch said Sammy’s school, part of the Greenfield-Central Community Schools system, was aware of the problem, as his parents had contacted staff and teachers more than 20 times about the bullying. The school itself would call Teusch, telling him Sammy was afraid, hiding in the closet or under the desk.
Only recently did Teusch learn that in the night before his son died, there were threats made to Sammy, that he would be attacked when he when he went to school Monday.
Now, other parents are coming forward to NewsNation asking what is going on at this school district.
The Olson family say they discovered their son Braylon was also planning to take his own life at just 11 years old after being bullied for his weight and speech impediment in gym class. The graphic details of his plan constantly replay in his mother’s mind.
Brandy Olson said they made every change to help their son with therapy and medication. Olson even quit her job working for the state so he is never left alone. Meanwhile, though, no changes have happened at school. The bully is still in Olson’s child’s class, and he’s tormented regularly. But when it happens, the bullies aren’t the ones asked to leave the class — Olson’s son is.
Greenfield-Central Community Schools said in a statement to NewsNation local affiliate WXIN that they and the Greenfield Police Department are investigating Sammy’s death. The district confirmed that in the last 18 months, contact between school personnel and Sammy’s parents was “frequent.”
“Our hearts pour out to the family at this time,” the statement said.
Deputy Chief Charles McMichael of the Greenfield Police Department said the investigation is still ongoing, and not a lot of information can be shared at this time. But the police department did send WXIN a statement urging parents to talk to their kids.
“The more conversations you have about everyday life, the more comfortable they will be talking about the hard stuff,” the statement said.
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Author: Natasha Zouves
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