Crushing Details About Why 13-Year-Old Rosalie Avila Committed Suicide Found In Her Diary And Suicide Note
In her suicide note, she reportedly referred to herself as "ugly" and a "loser."
CBS Rosalie Avila — described as a warm and loving 13-year-old girl from California who loved art and always got good grades — committed suicide Nov. 28 after being bullied by her classmates for over two years.
Her family found her hanging in her bedroom on Tuesday. She had left behind a note apologizing to her parents and calling herself "ugly" and a "loser." Rosalie was taken to Loma Linda Children's Hospital in an extremely critical condition that day and was taken off life support on Dec. 4.
"'Sorry, Mom and Dad. I love you.' And it said, 'Sorry, Mom, you're gonna find me like this,'" her father, Freddie Avila said, reading her note.
Rosalie, who loved the beach and singing, detailed her bullying experiences she had at Mesa View Middle School in her diary, which her family has since handed over to police. In it, she named those who were mean to her. Her parents said she often cut her wrists.
"'They told me I was ugly today,'" her father read. "'They were making fun of me today about my teeth.'"
"I remember a couple nights she'd come home, telling me that the kids are calling her names about her teeth," Freddie said. "I go, 'You have braces, honey, don't worry. The braces are going to come off,' and she said, 'Yeah, but my teeth are straight and they're still making fun of me.''
According to Rosalie's aunt, the school was aware of the bullying and the eighth-grader was in counseling. However, when the school released a memo about her tragic death, it failed to mention the cause was bullying.
"No one can fathom the heartbreak and confusion that we are certain many of our students and families are feeling right now," the statement read. "Crisis counselors and invtervention teams will be available and supporting our students throughout the district in the upcoming days."
And to add even more pain to their grief, people have started cyberbullying Rosalie's parents.
According to her mother, Charlene Avila, someone sent her a message on social media with photos of Rosalie that said "Hey mom. Next time don't tuck me in this," referencing a bed. Below it was an arrow pointing to an open grave with a caption that read: "Tuck me in THIS."
"For you to do that, I mean, you're heartless," Charlene said. "You're a very heartless person, and you have no compassion."
Her parents believe that not enough was done to prevent their daughter's death.
"I did everything I'm supposed to do as a father, and these people did not respond, because those bullies are still at the school," said Freddie. "They're still there, and my daughter's gone."
A GoFundMe page was set up to help Rosalie's family with the cost of her funeral and medical expenses. You can donate by visiting here. They've raised over $19,000, and their goal was $15,000.
"My daughter had the whole world," her father, Freddie Avila said in tears. "Now, I just have to think about what she could have done or what she could have become. Now it's just a memory."
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support. The Crisis Text Line allows people to text 741-741 to connect with crisis counselors.
Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).