Follow Up } Josh Pacheco 17, Final Good Bye on FaceBook
The parents of a gay high school student who killed himself after posting a Lord of the Rings farewell quote on his Facebook page have claimed he took his life after extreme bullying.
Josh Pacheco, 17, was found dead in his car inside his family's garage in Fenton, Michigan on November 27 by a neighbour who had gone to check on the teen while he was at home sick.
The neighbour went around after Pacheco's stepfather saw he had written a Bilbo Baggins quote on his Facebook wall, reading: 'I regret to announce that this is the end. I'm going now, I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye.'
He also left a note in his truck: 'I'm sorry I wasn't able to be strong enough.
The teen, who came out to his parents two months ago, was bullied both in and out of school, his mother, Lynnette Capehart, and stepfather, Michael Capehart, told the Flint Journal/Mlive.
His mother said she first realised there was something wrong when he returned from the homecoming dance on October 6 and was crying, but would not tell her what was wrong.
After he died, other students and parents told her that Josh had been pushed into lockers and teased at Linden High School, the paper reported.
He was having problems with bullying,' Lynnette Capehart said. 'He didn't really want to tell us very much. It was very disheartening to me.'
The weekend before his death, he spoke to his sisters about his future, making comments that worried his parents.
They spoke to him on the Sunday and set up an appointment for him to see a counsellor on Wednesday 28, although they thought he seemed back to normal. He took his life on the Tuesday.
At his funeral, teachers also said they believed he had been bullied, the Capeharts said, and his mother said she was upset the school had never told her.
'I regret to announce that this is the end. I'm going now, I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye'
Facebook post by Josh Pacheco
But Superintendent Ed Koledo said there had never been a report of bullying made to the school.
'We weren’t aware of any specifics,' he said. 'There’s been a lot of stories that have turned up over the weekend that we are looking into.'
But he added that new programs are being put in place to help students feel more comfortable about coming forward if they are being bullied. The school is also considering bringing speakers to the school to talk about bullying and suicide.
Michael Capehart said he will be touch with the school constantly until they take some action with those students who were involved in bullying his stepson.
But more than anything, the family said they just want the bullying to stop, and do not want those involved in bullying Josh to be bullied themselves.
At his funeral on Saturday, attended by around 400 people, Josh was remembered as a kind, fun-loving student who adored taking part in the theatre.
'My son was very funny and exceptionally sensitive and loving to other people's feelings,' his mother said.
As well as his parents, he leaves behind his siblings - Alicia, 20, Tiffani, 19, Grant, 14, and Haylee, 12 - whom he described as his best friends.
By LYDIA WARREN 
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