Parents Confront Bullies in Daughter's Obituary

Sadie Riggs' parents say bullies made her feel 'worthless'
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 24, 2017 4:35 PM CDT
15-Year-Old's Obituary Calls Out Bullying
Sadie Riggs' parents say the 15-year-old killed herself after bullies made her feel "worthless."   (Obituary)

The parents of a 15-year-old girl who hanged herself Monday in Pennsylvania have a message for bullies: "Please know that it is not too late to change your ways." Fox News reports that before her death, Sadie Riggs was going to counseling and taking medication for emotional issues. But she was bullied a lot, especially on social media, and it finally became too much. Her parents say they addressed their daughter's suicide in her obituary to "debunk the rumors" surrounding her death. They also did it to show bullies the real-life consequences of making a girl—who loved reading, softball, and music—feel "worthless."

“To all the bullies out there, I just want you to know that as much as we despise your actions, never, ever do we wish for you to feel the paralyzing pain that engulfs our bodies, a pain so severe that it makes the simple act of breathing difficult or the guilt that leaves us wondering what we could have done different," the obituary states. "Our hearts are beyond broken." A funeral for Sadie was held Saturday, WJAC reports. In lieu of flowers, her family only asks people to "be kind to one another." (Parents denied access to dead daughter's Facebook.)

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