Bullied Youth Dies After Suicide Attempt

Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old from Tehachapi, Calif., is the latest youth reported to have taken his own life this month because of antigay bullying that went unaddressed at school.

According to KGET-TV, Walsh died Tuesday afternoon after spending nine days on life support after he hanged himself from a tree in his back yard.

Students acknowledged that Walsh was bullied over a long period of time for being gay, and they said that officials at Jacobsen Middle School did not intervene despite an antibullying program cited by school officials. Police said there would be no charges in the death of Walsh.

“Tehachapi police investigators interviewed some of the young people who taunted Seth the day he hanged himself and determined despite the tragic outcome of their ridicule, their actions do not constitute a crime,” reported KGET.

The death of Walsh follows the suicides of at least two other teens this month due to relentless antigay bullying at school. Last week, Asher Brown, 13, of Texas shot himself in the head because of bullying, and earlier this month, Billy Lucas, 15, of Indiana killed himself.