A South Carolina 14-year-old girl named Kelaia Turner allegedly committed suicide after being bullied by other students in middle school. According to a lawsuit, the same bullies paid Turner a visit in the intensive care unit and took insulting photos of her. While her suicide attempt did not kill her, it did result in significant brain damage.
During her time at Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School, Kelaia Turner experienced numerous severe episodes of bullying.
Kelaia’s mother, Ty Turner, talked to WYFF4, telling the outlet that the school did nothing to stop the bullying. “There was no less than seven to nine times that I, myself personally, reached out to the school, and I had the emails,” Ty told the outlet. “Half the time they didn’t respond back, and if they did, it wasn’t with anything of any sustenance, there was never any resolution.”
The tormenting continued, finally leading Kelaia to hang herself in her bedroom on March 17, 2023. Ty was horrified to discover the awful scenario as she opened the door. She stated, “She had fully committed to what she was striving to accomplish, and she was gone for eight solid minutes.” Paramedics couldn’t find her pulse or heartbeat.”
An Outrageous Mockery
Kelaia died after around 8 minutes, sustained significant brain damage, and remained in a coma for weeks. During this time, Kelaia’s bullies paid her a visit in the ICU. They captured and later uploaded photos of Turnery unconscious as an absurd joke.
Mocking a now-14-year-old girl who tried suicide is beyond even the most disturbed and disgusting imagination. “Unfortunately, words may hurt.” They used to tell us, ‘Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.’ Words are the only thing we will carry,” Ty Turner said.
Ty is now seeking justice for her daughter by suing the district for Kelaia’s expenditures. These include medical expenditures and special education, among other things. Schine’t Turner launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Kelaia Turner and her family.
The school district has since answered with a statement, denying the allegations made by the Turney family. “The District is aware of the allegations made by this parent and has addressed them directly with the parent,” reads the statement. They stated that they had conducted investigations into the allegations at the time. “While we do not agree with the allegations, our hearts go out to Kelaia Tecora Turner, her mother, and their family.”
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