Police say no charges will be brought in relation to death of 10-year-old boy who killed himself after 'intense bullying'
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Police have said that no charges will be brought after a 10-year-old boy took his own life due to bullying.
Sammy Teusch had been relentlessly picked on at school in the months leading up to his suicide on May 5.
However, the Greenfield Police Department in Indiana has now finalized the investigation into his death and confirmed 'there will be no criminal charges filed with the Hancock County Prosecutor'.
Advert
Police Chief Brian Hartman said: "At the very beginning, everybody started saying this was bullying, this was a result of bullying, and I say this with a heavy heart, unfortunately, we do not know the cause of this.
"There was no note or no text messages. Sammy didn’t say why he felt he had to do this."
Investigations had found that Sammy had been targeted both inside and outside of Greenfield Intermediate School.
His family claim that at least two incidents took place on school property - in the canteen and on the bus.
Chief Hartman added: "We believe he encountered some rough times at school from other kids.
"I do have statements and facts to back that up. There were also things that happened outside of school.
"There has probably been an accumulation of things having happened in this child’s life that led up to that traumatic decision he made that day."
He has also said that the authorities 'addressed the incidents', by giving one of the accused bullies a 'one day in school and a one day out of school suspension'.
This runs contrary to what Sammy's parents have claimed, as they said they went to the school approximately 20 times over bullying issues.
The young boy's father, Samuel, told 13News kids 'were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth'.
The 10-year-old's body was tragically found in his bedroom by his sibling.
Sammy's father has previously called for action to be taken, telling FOX 59: "There needs to be action. There needs to be accountability.
"There needs to be something that shows these defenseless children that even if you feel like there isn’t someone at home to talk to or take care of, there are thousands of people out there that want to hear your voice.
"I want his image to be a source of empowerment for children who feel like they can’t come to someone and speak."
While a spokesperson for Greenfield-Central Community Schools district previously told FOX59 and CBS4: "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.
"Sammy was a student in Greenfield-Central for the last year and a half. [...] We were made aware of his death on Sunday afternoon, and we dispatched our crisis response team to both Greenfield Intermediate School and Greenfield Central Junior High School (where he has two siblings) to start 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.
"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.
"Our staff in Greenfield-Central has worked with the Teusch family quite a bit over the last 18 months. Contact between school personnel and the parents was frequent.
"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.
"While the investigation continues, we are primarily focusing our resources on meeting the immediate needs of the students we serve in Greenfield-Central Schools."
UNILAD has contacted Greenfield Police Department and Greenfield Intermediate School for further comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: US News
Ben Thompson