The parents of a 10-year-old Colorado girl who took her own life said their daughter was a victim of "bullycide" after a video of her fighting an alleged bully was posted online, KDVR reported.
Ashawnty Davis was a fifth-grader at Sunrise Elementary School in Aurora. Her parents said her happy demeanor changed after she was involved in an after-school fight on school property, KDVR reported.
After the video was posted online, the girl was so distraught that she “hanged herself in the closet,” according to Latoshia Harris, the child’s mother.
“She got into her first ever fight,” said Ashawnty’s father, Anthony Davis. “It was recorded by a student and sent to an app called Musical.ly.”
In the video, Ashawnty and another girl are seen fighting, while a group of kids watched, KDVR reported. According to Harris, her daughter confronted the girl, who she claims had been bullying her.
“I saw my daughter was scared,” Harris said.
While the video is difficult to watch, her parents believe it’s important to see.
“She was devastated when she found out that it had made it to Musical.ly,” Davis said.
The parents said the bullying Ashawnty endured after the video was posted was too much for the child to handle.
“My daughter came home two weeks later and hanged herself in the closet,” Harris said.
Ashawnty spent nearly two weeks at Children’s Hospital Colorado on life support before dying Wednesday morning.
“It’s just devastating,” her father said.
“Bullycide” is a term used for when someone takes his or her own life because of bullying, KDVR reported.
“We have to stop it and we have to stop it within our kids,” Davis said.
“I want other parents to know that it’s happening,” Harris said. “That was my baby and I love my baby and I just want mothers to listen.”
The Cherry Creek School District issued a statement on the case, calling it “a heartbreaking loss.”
“We do not tolerate bullying of any kind in our schools and we have a comprehensive bullying prevention program in place at all of our schools,” the statement said. “The safety and well being of students is our highest priority and we strive every today to ensure schools are safe, welcoming and supportive places that support learning.
"We were made aware of that video when a media outlet approached us with it. We took immediate action in response, turning the video over to police and addressing the matter with students.”
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