Katelyn Nichole Davis was pronounced dead around 6 p.m. at Polk Medical Centers emergency room in Georgia, Dec. 30th, 2016. She was 12 years old.
You might have come across a video on Facebook streaming quoting, "12-year-old girl commits suicide." I'm not sure why, but I clicked on the link. What I saw was absolutely horrifying. It wasn't just a video about a girl's suicide, it was a personal recording of Katelyn ending her life. The 41 minutes that the video lasted, 21 of them were her last. When authorities found her, they announced her wounds were "self-inflicted" and brought her to the emergency room.
Social media has stated she committed suicide because of a boy, but in her video she stated, "I'm sorry this depression got to me." She also apologized to her bullies, friends and family. Katelyn also said, "I know what I'm doing is an act of kindness." How unbelievable is that? Katelyn was crying the entire time, hating herself more and more before she gave up.
The video that streamed online showed Katelyn setting up the camera, and the thin rope that ended her young life. To give you an idea of what it looked like, she had brought a stool outside and set it up by a thick tree branch. Katelyn had then grabbed a rope around the thickness of twine—of what I could see. Throughout the video, she is testing the rope, sizing her neck, and seeing if it's short enough so when she stepped off the stool, it was a successful job done. It was terrifying watching her do those things. By minute 20, Katelyn had stepped off the stool, falling to her strangulation. The only thing that happened afterwards was her rocking back and fourth to tighten the rope because instead of killing her instantly, it choked her loosely.
The entire time I was watching the video, I felt sick to my stomach. The fact that a 12-year-old girl knew what to use for suicide, and how to set it up, absolutely broke my heart. I was going to share the video, writing a Facebook post about it, but everyone needs to hear this story.
How on earth does a 12-year-old girl, in 6th or 7th grade commit suicide? I cannot fathom that situation actually taking place. A few questions popped in my head, but the main one was where are her parents? Where was the comfort and help that Katelyn needed? I don't know if this is true, but I feel that if your child is being bullied to the point of wanting to end their life, you should know. You should be able to sense something is wrong. In my experience, getting help was not hard.
Us adults need to start recognizing the new symptoms of bullying. Bullying will never stop, we know this; so instead of being stuck in the, "If they pick on you, they probably like you" stage, we need to understand there are so many ways to get away with bullying these days. Kids are assholes, and they always will be at certain ages. It should never get to a point of pushing someone so far that they want to die.
I could not believe my eyes when I watched Katelyn step off of the stool. There were cars driving by, and her backyard had a playground in it. It didn't look like she was home alone, but maybe I assumed wrong. I can comprehend that suicide happens, but what I cannot comprehend is how often and to whom it happens to. Something needs to change.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from being bullied, or from depression, do not hesitate to get them help. Please call the 24/7 suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
