Indiana boy, 10, dies by suicide after school bullying, parents say
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
A 10-year-old Indiana boy has died by suicide after being severely bullied at school, his family told local news.
Sammy Teusch, a fourth grader, died on May 5 after emotional and physical bullying at Greenfield Intermediate School in Greenfield, Indiana, as FOX 59 first reported.
"How could God take my kid from here? Of course that was going through my head. God didn’t take my kid; hate did," Sammy's father, Sam Teusch, told the outlet.
Sammy was recently bullied on the school bus and cornered in a school bathroom last week, FOX 59 reported.
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"I just want him to never be forgotten," Sam Teusch told the outlet.
A GoFundMe post written by Sammy's family described the 10-year-old as "the best kid with a wonderful personality."
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"He was smart, funny, charming and deeply empathetic. He brightened the lives of anyone he encountered and was the life of the ‘party,’" the GoFundMe description reads. "I know my baby brother didn't deserve this. A kid with so much love and so much light gone too soon. None of this makes sense and I don't think it ever will but what I do know is that he deserves a proper send off. Me and my family are asking for help to do just that."
It is unclear exactly how Sammy died. The Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation is investigating Sammy's death with the Greenfield Police Department.
"The death of Samuel Teusch is tragic, and it has left our school corporation and larger community in tremendous grief. Our hearts pour out to the family at this time," the school district said in a statement to FOX 59. "Sammy was a student in Greenfield-Central for the last year and a half. He finished his 3rd grade year at Weston Elementary School in May of 2023, and he was a 4th grade student at Greenfield Intermediate School during the current 2023-24 school year."
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The school district said they were made aware of Sammy's death on May 5, a Sunday, and dispatched its crisis response team to Greenfield Intermediate School and Greenfield Central Junior High School, where Sammy's siblings attend school, at the start of the week.
"We have been fortunate to have an outpouring of support from our Hancock County school peers and the faith community, who also made themselves available to our students and families," the school district continued, according to FOX 59. "We have continued to provide additional mental health professionals in these two schools this week, and we have reminded all G-C families that we have mental health professionals in all eight of our schools to support our students throughout this crisis."
The district said Greenfield-Central staff have "worked with the Teusch family quite a bit over the last 18 months."
"Contact between school personnel and the parents was frequent," the district said. "The parents did report the manner of death as a suicide, and we are investigating their claims related to bullying. Beyond our own investigations we are cooperating with the Greenfield Police Department in this matter."
Greenfield Police Department Chief Brian Hartman issued a press release on May 10 warning of "rumors" being spread in the community, including "some naming children."
"I want to assure our community we are continuing to investigate this death in the same manner we investigate every death. We continue to interview people that may or may not be involved. This is how we sort truth from rumors," Hartman said, noting that because the case involves children, many details cannot be released publicly.
"[N]ow is a time for the conversation," Hartman continued. "If your child is being bullied, speak up about it. Give your children the confidence to tell a teacher, school counselor, principal, parent or other trusted adult. If the bullying continues, continue to tell someone. If they don't get relief from that person, tell someone else, but please make sure they are speaking up for themselves. If that doesn't work, please call the police department and we will help resolve the issue in any way we can."
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.