10-Year Old Autistic Girl Commits Suicide, Mother Says She Was Bullied By Teachers And Students

A 10-year old girl died in an apparent suicide after allegedly being bullied by teachers and students at her school.

Isabella Faith Tichenor was found dead in the family home Saturday, her mother, Brittany Tichenor, said in an informal news conference at a North Salt Lake Park. Isabella was autistic and, “lived life a little different than other kids,” her mother said.

She said other children recognized her differences and bullied and belittled her. She claimed a teacher joined in mocking Isabella. Brittany said she repeatedly spoke to teachers and school and district administrators.

“Nobody has done anything,” she said. “This proves (school personnel) don’t know what a child is going through mentally, and a parent has to find their child hanging from a closet.”

Isabella’s mother said she also spoke with school administrators about patterns of discrimination and harassment of Black and Asian-American students.

Brittany said her 7-year-old daughter, also a Foxboro student, “was called the n-word” in September and the school’s response was unsatisfactory, in her opinion. “I had to break it down to the vice principal — I shouldn’t have to tell you why that’s bad.”

School district spokesperson Shauna Lund gave a statement following Isabella’s death.

“We, like everyone, are devastated by the death of this child. Our hearts go out to the family. Foxboro Elementary has worked extensively with the family and will continue to provide help to them and others impacted by this tragedy. We take all incidents and reports of bullying seriously. At this point, the incident we are aware of involved another student. The teacher and administration responded quickly and appropriately. As with all allegations of bullying, our investigation will continue.”

A GoFundMe account has been setup to help with Isabella’s funeral expenses.

“She was her mommy’s best friend, the best big sister, and a light in this world,” the fundraising message said.

“Even though my baby is gone, I’m going to make sure that I stand for Izzy and for voices that can’t be heard, so that this will never happen again,” Brittany said.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Rest in peace, Isabella.

Here’s more on the story from Fox 13 Utah.