A 10-year-old Virginia girl took her own life after being targeted by bullies for defending others, her family has said.
Autumn Brooke Bushman, 10, of Roanoke, died on March 21. Her parents, Mark and Summer Bushman, and two older siblings are reeling from the sudden and unexpected loss.
According to her obituary, Autumn was a child who had “deep empathy, was soft-hearted, and always ready to lend a listening ear or offer support.”
While her parents were reportedly aware she was being bullied, things began to spiral in the last few weeks.
“If somebody was getting bullied or picked on, she would stand up for them. And unfortunately, that may have made her a target for more bullying,” Summer Bushman told WDBJ7.
Autumn began making unusual changes to her everyday life: she began wearing darker clothes, laughing and joking less around her loved ones, and sleeping for longer, her father told WSLS in a separate interview.
This behavior was atypical for a young girl who had an “infectious laugh and wonderful sense of humor” and loved taking part in cheer, track, dance, and archery.
Autumn was said to have “brought joy to those around her, making every moment brighter,” her family wrote in the obituary.
The bullying, her parents say, began at the start of the school year at Mountain View Elementary School last August, where Autumn was in the fourth grade.