A Florida teen’s world turned the other way up in lower than 5 days when she discovered herself being “canceled” for allegedly breaking the “lady code.” After what’s been described as an “ambush,” the teenager’s mother discovered her face down — and when she rolled her over, her worst nightmare got here true.
McKenna Brown was simply three days from beginning her senior yr at East lake Excessive College in Pinellas County, Florida, and he or she was one month from turning 17 when her mom went to get her up for church and located her face down in her room. Cheryl Brown initially thought her daughter was sleeping, however when she rolled McKenna over, her worst fears got here to life — her daughter was useless.
“I discovered her face down in her room,” Cheryl recalled. “She will be able to actually sleep anyplace. And once I first walked within the room… it didn’t even happen to me that she was gone. I assumed she was sleeping on the bottom, as uncomfortable because it regarded. I went over to her to try to flip her over, and he or she was chilly and stiff.”
Sadly, the teenager had dedicated suicide. Following her tragic demise, allegations that McKenna was bullied and even “canceled” surfaced, The Blaze reported. McKenna’s mother and father realized that their daughter had begun to be severely bullied and harassed on-line by a few of her hockey teammates simply days earlier than she took her life. Actually, in lower than 5 days, McKenna went from hanging out along with her hockey pals to committing suicide after what’s been described as a “tragic ambush.”
All of it allegedly started when an ex-boyfriend of a hockey teammate started flirting with McKenna. Out of respect for her buddy, the 16-year-old lady reportedly requested the teammate for permission to speak to the boy, who the opposite lady had dated two years earlier. The lady advised McKenna she was nice along with her speaking to her ex, however that rapidly modified. After accusing McKenna of breaking the “lady code,” her teammates allegedly tried to “cancel” McKenna, refusing to hang around along with her and sending her a “barrage of texts and telephone calls.”
“You’ve finished all of us flawed,” a former buddy allegedly texted McKenna. “I hope I by no means see you once more.”
McKenna allegedly apologized, however it was too late. She fell sufferer to on-line bullying as the teenager’s hockey teammates “proceeded to attempt to cancel” her on social media by urging others to not affiliate along with her, hoping to get the lady socially exiled, her mom stated.
“She was attacked,” Cheryl stated, in line with WTVT. “Her integrity was attacked. She was referred to as a bunch of names,” the grieving mom added. “The intent was to cancel her,” Cheryl furthered. “Actually, one buddy, in quotes, stated that her mission was to ‘depart her and not using a single buddy.’”
Like most mother and father, McKenna’s mother and pop assumed that the scenario was “boy drama,” which is widespread with teenage women. Nevertheless, the straight-A student-athlete in a short time succumbed to a “tsunami-type feeling” ignited by the web bullying and took her personal life due to it, Cheryl advised The Day by day Beast. Her mother and father solely turned conscious of how unhealthy it was when it was already too late.
It was quickly realized that, despite the fact that McKenna and her teammates had been pals for so long as 8 years, a couple of of her fellow athletes started to “mass distribute” adverse messages about her. The so-called pals even leaked a narrative alleging that McKenna was raped at age 14 and commenced spreading rumors in regards to the darkest moments McKenna had already confronted in her brief life.
“She made a pair errors. It led to some bodily, sexual, emotional abuse. She was blackmailed. She was bullied. She was betrayed by her greatest buddy,” McKenna’s father Hunter defined.
In complete, three women had been accused of being accountable for the web harassment of McKenna Brown. These three youth hockey league gamers had been suspended by the Lightning Excessive College Hockey League for his or her alleged connection to McKenna’s suicide following an investigation, in line with McKenna’s mom. However that’s not ok for Cheryl, who’s calling for a change in cyberbullying legal guidelines.
“I would love there to be some accountability and acknowledgment to what occurs,” Cheryl stated. “She’s not right here, however she’s nonetheless serving to folks. That’s our mission: To assist her proceed to assist others.”
In hopes of serving to others, McKenna’s mother and father appeared on the “Dr. Phil” present to debate psychological well being in teenagers and bullying.
“In case you’re conscious of one thing that’s happening in your child’s life that’s affecting one other child, you bought to say one thing,” Cheryl stated. “You may’t simply not say one thing. That’s not OK and that would’ve prevented this.”
Though a number of teammates and their households got here ahead with tales and proof in regards to the bullying that they imagine led to McKenna’s demise, it doesn’t seem the mistreatment violated the regulation. Although many who witnessed the mistreatment had been appalled, in line with Cheryl, there will probably be no accountability criminally, Hunter defined. Hopefully, McKenna’s story will assist forestall others from participating in such merciless conduct in addition to encourage those that witness such cruelty to talk up and finish it earlier than it’s too late.
For the warning indicators and threat components of suicide, click on right here. In case you or a liked one are battling suicidal ideas or emotions of misery, please attain out to the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) without spending a dime and confidential emotional help 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for each civilians and veterans. You may as well contact the Disaster Textual content Line by texting TALK to 741741.
