Bullied Gay Teen Who Attempted Suicide Dies in Hospital
Seth Walsh, a Californian teenager who spent nine days in hospital on life support following a suicide attempt, died Tuesday. His is the third death in as many weeks because of anti-gay bullying.
13-year-old Seth Walsh (pictured) was found Sunday, September 19 unconscious and not breathing after attempting to hang himself from a tree in his backyard. Having slipped into a coma, he was airlifted to hospital and put on life support. He died Tuesday afternoon.
He is survived by his mother Wendy Walsh, grandmother Judy Walsh and three siblings. Said Judy Walsh of her grandson's passing: "He passed away in a natural death. He is in the process of being an organ donor."
Bullying over Walsh's sexuality had been going on for years and even happened on the day that Walsh attempted to take his own life. A police investigation was launched but police have said that they can not take action against those who bullied Seth because this does not constitute a crime.
From KGET:
13-year-old Seth Walsh (pictured) was found Sunday, September 19 unconscious and not breathing after attempting to hang himself from a tree in his backyard. Having slipped into a coma, he was airlifted to hospital and put on life support. He died Tuesday afternoon.
He is survived by his mother Wendy Walsh, grandmother Judy Walsh and three siblings. Said Judy Walsh of her grandson's passing: "He passed away in a natural death. He is in the process of being an organ donor."
Bullying over Walsh's sexuality had been going on for years and even happened on the day that Walsh attempted to take his own life. A police investigation was launched but police have said that they can not take action against those who bullied Seth because this does not constitute a crime.
From KGET:
Tehachapi police investigators interviewed some of the young people who taunted Seth the day he hanged himself and determined despite the tragic outcome of their ridicule, their actions do not constitute a crime.
Several of the kids that we talked to broke down into tears," Jeff Kermode, Tehachapi Police Chief, said. "They had never expected an outcome such as this."
He said the students told investigators they wish they had put a stop to the bullying and not participated in it.
Friends said Seth was picked on for years because he was gay.
School administrators said they have an anti-bullying program in place, but schoolmates said staff at Jacobsen Middle School in Tehachapi offered Seth no protection or guidance.
Walsh's grandmother is keen to dissuade from blaming others:
Judy Walsh appealed for tolerance within the community.
“We are hoping the community will develop more tolerance for different people,” she said.
“He was different. He knew he was different,” she said. “He was a very loving boy, very kind. He had a beautiful smile. He liked fashion, his friends, talking on the phone. He was artistic and very bright.”
She said that no one person is to blame for Seth's death. The family has appealed for kindness toward one another and for the community to reject vengeance and anger.
“We all let him down. It's not any one person's fault, or one individual.”
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