"Sexting’ Bullying Cited in Teen’s Suicide"

MSNBC Today

By Michael Inbar

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 10:26 a.m. ET, Wed., Dec . 2, 2009

 

    13-year-old Hope Witsell hanged herself after topless photos circulated

Video

Hope Witsell, 13, took her own life Dec. 2: In a TODAY exclusive, the mother of a 13-year-old Florida girl who committed suicide after explicit cell phone photos were revealed to her classmates talks with TODAY’s Meredith Vieira. Today

 

" Hope Witsell was just beginning the journey from child to teen. The middle-school student had a tight-knit group of friends, the requisite poster of “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson and big plans to become a landscaper when she grew up.

But one impetuous move robbed Hope of her childhood, and eventually, her life. The 13-year-old Florida girl sent a topless photo of herself to a boy in hope of gaining his attention. Instead, she got the attention of her school, as well as the high school nearby.

The incessant bullying by classmates that followed when the photo spread put an emotional weight upon Hope that she ultimately could not bear.

Hope Witsell hanged herself in her bedroom 11 weeks ago.

Her death is only the second known case of a suicide linked to bullying after “sexting” — the practice of transmitting sexual messages or images electronically. In March, 18-year-old Jesse Logan killed herself in the face of a barrage of taunts when an ex-boyfriend forwarded explicit photos of her following their split. . . " Read More