On November 6, 15-year-old Austin McEntyre tragically committed suicide in Heard County, Georgia (USA).
The local sheriff and the teenager’s school district, Heard County School District, promised to investigate the events that led to the young student’s death.
Just two days earlier, on November 4, Austin’s mother Lisa had a conversation with the teenager about going to school. He claimed he was sick until he finally admitted that he was physically fine.
“I specifically said, ‘Please be honest with me.’ And he said, ‘I’m being bullied at school.’ I said, ‘Okay, what exactly are they doing?’ ‘Well on Wednesday they pulled my pants down.’ Well, they essentially pulled down his shorts and underwear,” Lisa explained.
Aside from this specific incident, Lisa was unaware of the extent of the bullying. She called the school the same day, and the principal promised to investigate the matter.
That same afternoon, the school confirmed that they were taking action against the students responsible, following their own guidelines.
READ MORE: 13-year-old boy known as “great kid” dies by suicide – family says he was bullied
On Saturday, Lisa explained, she and Austin went for a walk together and talked about Austin’s feelings.
The teenager said he felt like he didn’t have many friends, and Lisa even asked him if he ever thought about harming himself. When Austin immediately answered “no,” she was reassured.
Lisa called Austin the next day while she was at work, around 9:30 am. They briefly spoke and said they loved each other. Lisa did not know that this would be the last time she would talk to her son.
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Later that day, when she left work, Lisa realized she had two missed calls from the local sheriff’s office. The messages said they were trying to reach Austin after reports that he was going to harm himself.
Lisa hurried home where she saw deputy sheriffs waiting for her. Immediately, she feared the worst.
Since Austin’s premature death, Lisa has learned more about what her son went through.
Heard County’s principal released a statement about Austin:
The Heard County School System is devastated by the loss of one of our middle school students, Austin McEntyre. An investigation is ongoing into the claims of bullying and other incidents brought to light by the police. The school system has a policy, as required by law, that prohibits bullying. Students have many places to turn for help if they are experiencing or witnessing bullying.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of this young man. High school officials are in close contact with the family. Grief counselors and local pastoral staff are available at the school for students and teachers during this difficult time.
The sheriff’s office stated: “We are investigating a self-inflicted gunshot wound of a student at Heard County High School. We are looking into the motives for the incident.”
Lisa has already made it her mission to help prevent other families from experiencing a similar tragedy.
“We want to honor him and make a statement that this bullying cannot continue,” she explained.
Lisa wants to remind students to be kind to each other and that there is always someone to listen to them if they feel isolated or in pain. She said:
“People want and are willing to listen and help. Never feel like you carry this whole world on your shoulders alone. That’s not true.”
Despite what some may believe, bullying remains a scourge that continues to plague all aspects of life. I think we can all agree that there is absolutely no place for it in modern society, especially when it concerns innocent children.
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