Mother: Hoax on MySpace triggered daughter's suicide

The News-Times ^ | November 17, 2007 | BETSY TAYLOR, AP

[alicewonders]

I completely agree.

Medication is the new babysitter for teachers and parents. My nephew is extremely smart and funny - a really special kid - but his teachers are all the time sending notes home to my sister to take him to the doctor and get him checked for this or that - the latest is his “thyroid”.

He’s a normal, active kid that gets good grades - but he likes to clown a bit in class and makes funny comments that make the other kids laugh in class.

It’s an absolute travesty that schools won’t let kids - especially boys - be normal kids anymore.

[thundrey]

Bit of a social darwinist attitude to have were the evil are allowed to prey on the weak?
What those adults did to a a CHILD of 13 who they ALREADY KNEW had mental health issues was sick, and they certainly deserve to be punished for it. If I had a child with emotional problems and some idiot tipped them over the edge like this, I would expect the law to give me justice, and if it didn’t, I’d go over there myself and exact my retribution and laugh afterwards as they dragged me off to jail...

[Sacajaweau]

They haven’t disclosed the medicine she was taking or whether they were switching meds around to see what worked and didn’t work )or did they). Most come with lots of warnings.

[jdm]

I’m sure a lot of parents pulled similar stunts in the 70s and 80s (not so high-tech times) but the internet can make reeking havoc more efficient.

[RetiredArmyMajor]

napscoordinator wrote: I think the girl was pretty weak. Killing yourself over an imaginary friend. That is like us here picking up a nice conversation and a month later the person drops the other. Weak 13 year old.

You sound exactly like those people who hid behind the fictitious "Josh account" to abuse the girl. Now, if you were a real man (or whatever), you'd go visit her father and say that in person.

[org.whodat]

While what the neighbors did was lousy I don’t see how it’s illegal.

True, but then should someone could decide to have a bonfire for a large hot dog roast at the these perverts home I would hope someone would take pictures. The foundation could always be used for a place for normal people to live.

[Gay State Conservative]

If the girl hanged herself over an *internet* friend that she had only known for a few weeks then she was a suicide waiting to happen.If it wasn’t “Josh” who sent her over the edge it would have been some history teacher who had the audacity to give her a C- in a midterm exam or some kid at the library who called her “poopy pants”.

[HotTubDave]

Well, the father didn’t have to balls to go kick some ass, instead venting on a football table. how passive aggressive.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Parents should monitor their kids’ internet use.

Kids should be taught that just because they read something on the internet doesn’t make it true.

Adults should not correspond with children on the internet unless they are related to those children.

[rabidralph]

And the thing is, her mom monitored her online communications and still let her daughter carry on this way.

[khnyny]

Let’s hope not. Too much suing. The girl was weak. Killed herself over a fictional guy. Tragic but insane all in one breath.

Oh, they'll be sued alright. The neighbor mother who is responsible for this admitted in a police report some very interesting things. First, what she did and then that the converstations "got sexual". This family is toast.

By the way the names are Curt and Lori Drew. It's all over the internet.

[robertpaulsen]

When I was a kid, ADD wasn't invented. But I probably would have been diagnosed with it had it been.

I needed (and got) structure and discipline. And yes, a little more attention from teachers and my parents.

Parents and teachers today don't have the time or the inclination. Parents are so guilty about pursuing their own lives that they don't dare discipline their kids -- they want to be "friends".

"Mother's little helper" used to refer to mom's pills -- today it refers to Ritalin given to kids.

[khnyny]

If the girl hanged herself over an *internet* friend that she had only known for a few weeks then she was a suicide waiting to happen.If it wasn’t “Josh” who sent her over the edge it would have been some history teacher who had the audacity to give her a C- in a midterm exam or some kid at the library who called her “poopy pants”.

WTF? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I really don't think you understand or know what you're talking about. That being said, you really show little to no compassion for a dead child. That's sick.

[onedoug]

Apparently though, her parents were not involved enough to what she was doing on the internet.

[Sacajaweau]

Was she SENT to her room?? or WENT to her room? There is a difference!!

[org.whodat]

Well, the father didn’t have to balls to go kick some ass,

Taking the law in to your own hands has worked out really well for OJ. Were you his adviser? :)

[Sacajaweau]

The last "event" before the suicide was her mother hollering at her for using foul language.

Using foul language sounds like she was fighting back.

Her mother effectively stepped in the ring on Josh's side.

Regardless, it's more likely the meds than anything else.

My heart does go out to the parents in every way. What a terrible loss.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Killing yourself over an imaginary friend.

She didn't know the friend was fictitious just as I don't know if you are fictitious.

[The Pack Knight]

I really don't think there's a civil suit here. While there doesn't have to by any criminal conduct, I'm not really sure what they'd be suing them for. There's something called "intentional infliction of emotional distress/mental upset" which, I think, has been recognized in Missouri, but the burden on the plaintiff's a pretty high one, and involves demonstrating "extreme and outrageous behavior." It'd be a hard case to make, to say the least.

Most courts don't particularly like holding people liable just for saying something.

That said, I think what these people did is despicable, and I hope there's a nice little spot in Hell for these sickos. I've read some comments here about how she was a weak 13 year old girl. Well, yes, she was a 13 year old girl, not a Marine. Have a little compassion, will you?