The Monster March

Note: It's been 15 days since we lost Nigel. As you know, besides police, schools and friends, we wait to speak with parents; on their timeline and when they're ready. Here's what happened to Nigel.

Nigel Hardy-13 California 4/15/13

This is the story of identity attacked and loyalty severed. And when you’re 13 years old, that’s a lot to handle. Nigel's mother, Lisa, describes her son as "Beautiful, smart, dynamic, intuitive and a gifted athlete.” He was an exceptional talent in cheerleading. He’d wow large crowds with his crisp moves and his impressive gymnastics. But, at school, it was his peers who flipped on him. Bullies called him, “Girlie” and “Faggot” for choosing a “feminine” sport. They wouldn’t leave Nigel alone.

Nigel had moved to The West Coast only four months earlier with his mother and his brother. His father had willfully given up custody. But, when Nigel had endured enough of the bullying, he'd turn to his father hoping to escape to his dad’s home out of state. And when the answer was, "No," Nigel would take it as another blow.

Nigel was a handsome and athletic seventh grader. His personality was vibrant. Friends say “He had that million dollar smile that could light up a room.” His Grandmother, Anita, says “He was very compassionate and kind.” Anita recalls how, instead of joining friends on Spring Break, Nigel would sense his grandparents needed help at their new house. So, he’d stay with grandma and grandpa and plant flowers. “He’d do anything he knew we’d appreciate.”

At Hillview Middle School, students would heckle Nigel. If they weren’t calling him, “Queer” and other names, they were shoving him into lockers and telling girls to stay clear of the “Sicko.” One of Nigel’s close friends recalls how it all stemmed from Nigel joining the cheerleading club. “I’d tell him to let it go and that I always had his back.” But that never stopped the harassment.

Lisa sought intervention from school officials. “She must have gone to the principal four times and she even contacted the district superintendent,” says Grandmother, Anita. “But they didn’t do anything to stop it. My husband and I had to pick Nigel up after school each day to protect him from bullies.”

One Friday, Nigel decided he’d had enough harassment from one particular boy. Nigel’s friend says, “I was with him when Nigel finally punched the kid who’d harassed him over and over for cheerleading.” Nigel was suspended. His phone was taken away. It was the last time Nigel’s friend would hear from him.

Then, Nigel found a loaded gun in the family bathroom. Lisa still doesn’t understand how it got there. But, the next morning, Nigel secretly took the gun with him as he left the house. Instead of going to school, Nigel walked some 20 miles to a restaurant. Meanwhile, his family realized Nigel had the gun. Police were contacted. Hillview Middle School went into “Lock down.”

Miles away at restaurant, Nigel ordered food. He sat there for hours agonizing over the bullying and over his communications with his father. Nigel had texted his dad asking if he could move and live with him. When his father declined, Nigel texted something to the effect of, “You won’t have a son anymore.” Nigel’s dad didn’t take it seriously. As police and Nigel’s family continued their search, Nigel fell asleep at the restaurant table.

At closing time, a waiter woke Nigel up. Nigel stood up to pay his tab. As he handed the cashier his ticket and his money, he turned the food ticket over. On the back, he’d written down his father’s phone number. He told the waiter, “Call them there and tell them their son is dead.” To the shock of the waiter, Nigel then pulled out the gun and shot himself in the head.

Hillview Middle School Principal, Robert Garza, said he was stunned by Nigel’s death. “I felt like the school had a good relationship with him and his mother.” Garza won’t comment on what the school feels led up to Nigel’s su***de. Nor will he discuss Nigel’s suspension.

California addresses bullying at schools through its recent, “Seth’s Laws.” Specifically, they were created after many students were harassed for their sexual orientation. Seth’s laws require schools have strong anti-bullying policies, that they develop clear processes for receiving complaints and for intervening in bullying incidents. According to Education Code Section 234.1(b), “If school personnel witness an act of discrimination, harassment, intimidation or bullying, he or she shall take immediate steps to intervene when safe to do so.”

But, Nigel’s family believes that didn’t happen. And, like most states, California has no criminal sanctions against bullying.

The tragic loss of Nigel is a prime example of why The Monster March seeks a Congressional hearing with our nation’s top lawmakers. In many states with anti-bullying laws which seem strict, “on paper,” bullied kids are still taking their lives. Our hearing will expose the holes through which our bullied kids fall so we may seal them and save young lives.

If you’d like to donate to the Hardy family and to help with Nigel's cheerleading legacy, please contact:
www.gofundme.com/2mmv1k

And, please sign our petition for a Congressional Investigative Hearing into bullied su***des of American children and teenagers: http://www.change.org/petitions/congressional-hearing-on-federal-anti-bullying-law

R.I. P. Bright Nigel

By Christi O'Connor/The Monster March

Solomon Harris- 15 TX 4/18/13

Bullied for his race

The racial slurs were already too much. Solomon had endured them and other harassment on a daily basis since middle school. But when high school bullies thought it was funny to call him a “Terrorist” and to liken him to people who “…use bombs and shoot kids,” it triggered Solomon’s breaking point. He found his father’s gun and called a close friend. He told her, “I’m going to shoot myself at school.” And, at 15 years old, he did.

Solomon was a caring boy. He had good friends and loved to laugh with them. He was a member of Temple High School’s Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corp. He did his best to say out of trouble. When other kids got into mischief, he stepped back to avoid bringing on more difficulties for himself or for anyone else. But high school wasn’t supposed to be like this. Bullies called him, “Nigger” and hurled other demoralizing insults. When he heard his bullies were now calling him a “terrorist” and were spreading more outlandish lies about him, Solomon felt hopeless.

On a Sunday night, Solomon texted his good friend, Haley. He wrote that he was going to “…get my father’s gun and take it to school to kill myself.”

Haley had been helping Solomon cope with racial bullying since middle school. She thought they could handle it together. But instead, on Tuesday morning, Solomon let her know he’d left for school early after making his bed and leaving his brother a note on his bed. Fear shot through Haley’s body. Solomon was serious. Haley bolted out the door for school. It was only 7 AM. In front of the high school at their regular meeting place, she waited for Solomon.
When he didn’t appear, Haley went looking for someone to tell. Meanwhile, Solomon’s father had arrived at the school, too, and was frantically searching for his son.

Haley ran into the school’s office and told the person on duty “Solomon has a gun.” She ran back outside. Suddenly, she heard Solomon’s voice. He was calling her from inside the school grounds. Haley followed Solomon’s voice and found him. Together, they went through a side entrance of the school to the tennis courts where Solomon showed Haley the gun. Haley was scared. “He looked desperate. He asked me if I wanted to use the gun to kill myself, too.” Haley remembered how she and Solomon had been enduring bullying for years and how neither of them had reported it. She wished she had. She then told Solomon, “I don’t want to kill myself.” She tried to stay calm and figure out a way she could separate herself from her upset friend. “I told him I needed to tell a couple of people goodbye.” Haley then walked a few steps where she saw some of her friends and tried to alert them to the unfolding crisis. “They didn’t understand the clues I was trying to give them,” says Haley.

It’s unclear if Solomon realized what Haley was trying to do. But next, Solomon left her. He turned and walked toward their school’s stadium. Haley used the moment to run for help. She found a teacher and relayed the nature of the emergency. The teacher told the principal. The school went into “lockdown.”


Tragically, only minutes later, Haley got the news she was praying against.
Solomon had shot himself in the head. An ambulance was on its way.

Police interviewed Haley. In addition to explaining the text Solomon had written and how she’d tried to get help, Haley expressed deep regret for not having saved her friend. It is undeserved sentiment bullying forces too many friends and loved ones to have to suffer. Haley told officers, “I should have said something to someone before I did. I wish I had. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

When he was rushed to the hospital, Solomon was still alive. But, two days later, he died in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Police recovered the gun near the school’s tennis court. Police are investigating allegations of bullying. They’re also interviewing several high school staff members who saw the shooting.

By September of last year, all Texas school districts were supposed to implement anti- bullying policies. But Texas has no criminal sanctions against bullying. And, Texas Education Agency Communications Director, Debbie Ratcliffe, says “There’s no monitoring mechanism in the law. So, districts don’t have to report their policies to (my) agency.” For years in Texas, only the victims of bullying could be transferred to different school districts. As of last year, schools may now transfer the bully(s) to another school.

This week, a beautiful memorial service was held for Solomon. Friends and loved ones had many wonderful things to say about the 15-year old. Please help us prevent the loss of more kids like Solomon. Sign our petition for a Congressional hearing so our bullied families and teens may share their stories about what must change: http://www.change.org/petitions/congressional-hearing-on-federal-anti-bullying-law

R.I.P Beloved Solomon.

Christi O’Connor/The Monster March

Brianna Keefer-14 W.Virginia 4/5/13

Bullied for her race and her appearance

Brianna was one of our strikingly pretty girls who came to believe she wasn’t. Despite her mother, Rosie’s, constant assertions, “You are the kind of beautiful people pay money to try to become,” Brianna often said, “I’m ugly. I wish my color was different.” It’s now confirmation to her family who always suspected- -bullies were bringing Brianna down.

Brianna was Hispanic. She was adopted into a large and supportive family of white parents when she was just a toddler. Her friends say, “She was really good at sports, writing and singing and she loved to make people laugh.” Rosie, says, “She was very compassionate. She looked out for the underdog. Every day after school, she stopped by an elderly neighbor’s house to make sure the woman was okay.” For a school assignment, Brianna wrote a letter to local paramedics thanking them “…for risking your lives every day and for helping so many people.” Brianna had four sisters and two brothers including 4-year old, Hope, whom Brianna doted on with tenderness. “You need to spoil Hope. And I just know she’s going to walk someday,” Brianna would assert to her mom. Hope has Cerebral Palsy.

Like many parents of Teens We’ve Lost to bullied su***de, Rosie didn’t begin to understand the potential impact of bullying until it was too late. Rosie had astutely taken away Brianna’s cell phone and her computer, but would still find notes in which her daughter said things like, “I’m changing my color. I’m no longer a “Nigger.” But, Rosie didn’t pursue the bullying because she had another issue which, in retrospect, she now realizes was Rosie “acting out.”

Brianna was a 14-year old Elkins High School freshman. Nine days before her su***de, she and an 18-year old schoolmate played a prank with profound consequences. The two girls wrote on the school’s bathroom wall, “A bomb will go off at 10 AM.” When police began to investigate, Brianna asked her mom what to tell them. “Tell the truth,” instructed Rosie. So Brianna, “...wrote down everything just how it had happened.” When a detective spoke with Rosie he said, “This was a cry for help from Brianna.” Both girls were charged. But, Brianna was the only one prevented from returning to school. Because Brianna’s older accomplice was allowed to continue classes, it triggered another round of gossip about Brianna on the Internet and in the school’s hallways. When Brianna appeared before a judge and the school board, she was suspended and ordered into a Christian living home for troubled kids. At least she’d have two months at home before she’d have to go. But, days later at 9 PM on the night of April 4th, Brianna’s attorney called. “Be ready in three days. You have to be there on Monday.”

Still, the next evening, Brianna seemed excited. She was in a good mood and looked forward to making warm brownies and popcorn and having a “Friday movie night” with her family. At 5 PM as Rosie was leaving to pick up Brianna’s sister from an event, Brianna asked Rosie to pick up some goodies for the fun night. “She seemed perfectly fine,” remembers Rosie. But when Rosie returned less than two hours later, it would be to a horrific sight.

Rosie pulled up to the house with her kids. Minutes later, she went downstairs and saw her daughter’s body. Brianna had tied a scarf around her neck and was hanging from the stairwell. We only continue with this description because this is the kind of tragic visual our families of bullied teens who kill themselves must remember for the rest of their lives. Rosie says, “My daughter had hanged herself with a scarf from the stairwell. She’d broken her neck and had been paralyzed.”

When Rosie and her husband got to Brianna, her body was still warm. “As we cut her down, her feet were close enough to the stairwell.” Remembering young Angel Green of Indiana had recently ignored a similar opportunity to save herself before she had hanged herself, Rosie said, “Brianna’s feet were also in a place that would have allowed her to save herself. But she was in too much emotional pain.”

Brianna died before her schoolmate accomplice was arrested. Elkins High School held a moment of silence in Brianna's honor and offered grief counseling to students. Randolph County School District Superintendent, Terry George, said, “We never had a report by or about Brianna involving bullying.” In 2001, West Virginia state law began requiring schools to have anti-bullying and reporting policies to prohibit school and online harassment and to encourage students and school representatives to report it. But, like most states, West Virginia has no criminal law against bullying. And, while Elkins High School’s website instructs students on “What to do if someone harasses you online,” Its answers don’t include “Tell a teacher or a school official.”

Police closed their investigation without pursuing a bullying probe. Rosie is upset with school officials and police “for punishing my daughter but not the other girl.” At Brianna’s service, friends shared stories Rosie hadn’t heard about how “badly Brianna had been bullied.” And she says she’s now going to find out the extent to which Brianna was harassed.

As you see, state laws do not keep our bullied kids from killing themselves. Please help our families get before Congress to share their tragic stories. Sign our petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/congressional-hearing-on-federal-anti-bullying-law
You can donate to the Keefer family to help with Brianna’s funeral expenses.

To donate, contact:

Tomblyn Funeral Home
45 Randolph Avenue
Elkins, WV 26241
Ph: (304) 636-5595

R.I.P Gorgeous Brianna

By Christi O'Connor/The Monster March

Christiopher Rico—12 Alabama 4/15/13

Bullied for his small size and his race

At first, police seemed to credibly explain away 12-year old Christopher’s sudden death as “natural causes linked to a brain aneurysm.” They would press no charges. But, now, a Grand Jury may. Chilton County Chief Deputy District Attorney, CJ Robinson, says “The social media explosion caused by (our) story and other Internet posts changed things.” His office will now present Christopher’s death to a Grand Jury for possible indictment. This is now a tragedy involving a child’s death, allegations of a cover up and reported death and deportation threats against Christopher’s family.

Christopher was a handsome and smart sixth grader at Jemison Middle School. He did his best at schoolwork and had good friends. He was small for his age and was always “shy around certain kids who were bigger and picked on him.”

Friends and witnesses with whom we’ve spoken say it was on a Friday when Christopher went in to use the school bathroom. At least two other boys were inside. Suddenly, one of the boys began pushing Christopher. Christopher pushed back. A witness says “8 to 10” boys jammed into the bathroom and started egging on a fight.” And, that “…that’s when a larger kid grabbed Christopher and put him in a head lock." The boy then “..threw Christopher onto the floor, grabbed him around the neck and began chocking him.” As Christopher reportedly lay on the ground being pummeled, at least two boys took video of the scene on their cell phones. Then, ”…all the boys just ran out laughing at what had just happened.” When Christopher made his way out into the school hallway, a friend saw him. He asked Christopher if he was okay. “He wasn’t looking too good and he told me he felt bad and had a headache,” says the friend. When Christopher got home from school, he began throwing up. His head throbbing intensified. An ambulence rushed Christopher to the hospital. Soon, he couldn’t breathe on his own and was put on a ventilator. Three days later, Christopher died in the hospital.

Jemison Police Chief, Shane Fulmer, told media, “There is no criminal investigation or foul play involved. Christopher died from natural causes due to a brain aneurysm. We conducted a thorough investigation in which we spoke with kids and adults at school, doctors and hospital personnel, the coroner and the district attorney.” Jemison Middle School declined to explain where school officials were when the bathroom incident was happening.

Then, the Internet firestorm began. One of the cell phone videos of the alleged attack was turned over o the D.A. An outraged public began flooding the office with complaints. Some blamed the school for failing to protect Christopher. Others reported details of what they claim was “A gang attack on Christopher.” Many callers accused police of orchestrating a “Good ‘Ole Boy Cover Up” and even of, “...threatening to deport the Rico family if they don’t stay silent.” At least one source says The Ricos have gotten “serious death threats.”

What’s the scope of wrongdoing Chief Deputy D.A. Robinson will present to the Grand Jury? He, of course, won’t say. But any charges he’ll recommend won’t be “bullying.” Alabama is one of dozens of states who have no criminal laws against bullying. Instead, Robinson will have to use the state’s codes against felony “harassment” and assault” which don’t consider many of the deadly dynamics of bullying. It is the same problem District Attorney Jack Whelan is grappling with in Pennsylvania. There, 12- year old, Bailey O’Neill was beaten up at school and later died from his head injuries. It's one of the many important reasons we are seeking a Congressional hearing for a federal law that makes deadly bullying a crime in all states. It’s why we need your signatures on our petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/congressional-hearing-on-federal-anti-bullying-law).
Please sign for Christopher, Bailey and for the more than 100 bullied kids who's tragic death stories you've read on our Monster March site.

R.I. P. Handsome Christopher

It takes hours to research just one of these tragic deaths. These teens' families will suffer for the rest of their lives. PLEASE take 2 minutes to sign our petition for a Congressional Investigative hearing. THIS IS A CRISIS. And every time we lose another child...it proves all the good things we're all doing now....AREN'T ENOUGH. Full stories, next.
Please sign now: http://www.change.org/petitions/congressional-hearing-on-federal-anti-bullying-law

Just added some of our case study findings underscoring the critical need for our Congressional investigative hearing. Please READ THESE SU***DE stories and then our new information on our petition we hope you'll sign and share. Please do it for these kids and those we can still save. Petition link BELOW.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.257073061009292.57984.250976308285634

Since 2009, these American teenagers have taken their own lives after being bullied. They were in such pain, the choice of standing in the path of a speeding train or an 18-wheeler, jumping off a highway bridge into traffic or deadly water, poisoning, hanging or shooting themselves seemed the only way to end their suffering. If this isn't a crisis to care about, we don't know what is. The Monster March Against Bullying is compiling the only complete gallery (photos and stories) of Teens We've Lost To Bullying. We're starting with U.S. teens since 2009. If you know of a teenager we've missed, please please send details to us at [email protected] . Click photos to read stories.

We've had three more bullied su***des in the last two weeks. We're researching them and connecting with parents, schools and authorities. We'll have the inside stories on all three Thursday.

By Christi O'Connor/The Monster March

Parti “Tay” Holland 14 OH 3/23/13

Seventh grader, “Tay” Holland’s birthdays were always special. He was such an unusually thoughtful boy, his entire family and many friends always made a point to celebrate his big day with him. At 6’ 3” and weighing 275 pounds, Tay had always been much bigger than kids his age. So, his dad had made a point to carefully raise Tay as a pacifist. “Gentle Giant,” they called him. But, on his 14th birthday- -instead of unwrapping presents- - Tay tied a dog leash around his neck. He latched it onto a bicycle hook his dad had bought him. On the day he turned 14-years old, Tay hanged himself from his bedroom ceiling. Peers would never be able to call him, “Nigger,” or physically assault him again.

Yesterday, as Parti buried his only son, he was wracked with pain, bewilderment and a deep sense of guilt. “Tay was truly a good person. I’ve always taught him- -no matter how others treat you- -do unto others as you’d have done to you.” Parti raised Tay and his sister, Haley, as Baptists. Tay was very involved in the Church’s youth groups and activities. He took pride in being generous to others. When he delivering kindness through his church, Tay was playing basketball and riding BMX bikes with his father. They were very close. When Parti had noticed Tay seemed to be the one who’d fix anything wrong with his friends’ bicycles, Parti had helped turn Tay’s bedroom into a pseudo bike repair shop.

Parti knew Tay had been having a rough few weeks. Tay attended the mostly-white Sheffield Middle School. He was half black. Parti knew Tay had been the brunt of incessant racial slurs and harassment. And, that other kids often joined in. Tay’s weight, his speech impediment and his easy-going nature also made him easy prey. But Parti believed his consistent reminders helped Tay pass off the verbal bullying like water on his back. “He’d always handled it with grace.”

Then, things turned physical. The same boy who- -peers say- -consistently called Tay, “Nigger” and mimicked Tay, “…like Tay was an idiot,” - -one day worked himself into a bully rage. The boy hurled insults and then punched Tay. Kids who witnessed it could tell it hurt. But Tay didn’t defend himself. He tried to ignore it. Tay did share the incident with his parents. And, as is usually the case with bullying, Tay’s friends say they and, “All the kids at school” knew Tay had been a constant target of harassment. School administrators were informed. But the bullying continued.

One day, the same boy who’d pummeled Tay, hit Tay again. This time it was on a school bus. And this time, Tay had decided he’d had enough. After the boy attacked Tay, Tay hit him back. Both boys were suspended. School officials made Tay stay away from school for three days. Parti watched his son retreat into the solitude of his bedroom where Tay had a computer. “Tay stayed in his room a lot but I assumed he was working on bicycles,” says Parti.

The night before Tay’s birthday, Parti came home from his job as a Wendy’s manager. He was exhausted. Tay tried to talk to his dad. “He wanted to show me the birthday outfit Haley had bought him.” Holding back his emotions, Parti told me, “But, I dismissed my son. I was too tired to listen to him.” Tay went back in his room for the night. Oddly, Tay didn’t even come out to give his dad his nightly “goodnight kiss” Tay always had given his dad. A short time later, Parti felt a sudden stab of concern in his heart. Something was wrong. So Parti went to Tay’s bedroom door and opened it.

There was Tay; hanged to death. “My wife and I got him down as fast as we could and we tried to save him…but it was too late.”

Sheffield Lake Superintendent, Will Foger, says he was “unaware” of Tay being bullied. He says the school has 12-anti bullying programs and that, “Reports of bullying are usually investigated within 24 hours.” An investigation is underway. But, when I asked Parti about Tay’s computer and cell phone, Parti responded, “Police didn’t take anything from our home.” Like most parents of our Teens We’ve Lost to bullying, Parti did not monitor Tay’s online activities. I shared with Parti what police often find when they do investigate bullied kids’ computers.

Others who were there yesterday as Tay’s casket was lowered into the ground are also “in shock.” Rick Theres has been a close family friend for 11 years. “Tay was such a kind and respectful boy, I told my son to look up to Tay as a role model. I would love it if my son develops Tay’s kindness and respectful nature.”

Theres is handling the logistics of Tay’s memorial as well as the fund he’s trying to set up for the Hollands. He’s worried about Tay’s family due to the emotional devastation being compounded by financial worries. “Parti had to take all this time from work to handle his son’s su***de. They aren’t rich. It will take days before the bank sets up any type of memorial fund for them.” Theres says there should be a national bullied su***de fund to help grieving families through their immediate funeral and financial needs.

“Tay’s mother can’t bear to return to the home where Tay left this earth. They’re having to move now and live with relatives.”

If you’d like to help the Holland family, their church has agreed to accept donations until the bank memorial fund is set up. Yesterday I called Sue Baker at the church to ensure someone there is in charge of holding donations for the Holland family.

To donate, contact:

Sue Baker
First Baptist Church
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (440) 537-5775
Address: 633 Harris Rd. Sheffield Lake, OH 44054

R.I.P. Gentle Tay

Bullied To Death or Natural Causes?
R.I.P. 12-year old Christopher Rico

Another reason to SIGN OUR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING PETITION.:

Six weeks after Pennsylvania’s Bailey O’Neill died from brain damage sustained in a school yard bullying attack, another 12 year old- -this one in Alabama- - has died in a case many suspect is tragically similar.
We’ve obtained the little boy’s name and photo. He is
Christopher Rico of Jemison, Alabama. Like in Bailey's
case, school video tape captured schoolmates
“rough-housing” this boy. Later that night, this boy
also went home and began having severe headaches
which led to his hospitalization. Friday night, Christopher was rushed to the hospital and was put on a ventilator. He died Monday. Authorities are vehemently denying any claims of bullying. They say Christopher died of a “ruptured brain aneurysm." But, friends and many callers to police say “bullies killed Christopher.” At this early stage, we do not know.
Here’s the statement by Jemison’s police chief:
“On Monday, April the 15th at approximately 2:30 pm a [12]-year-old Jemison Middle School student passed away while at Children's Hospital after being transported and admitted to the hospital on Friday for a medical illness. Jemison Rescue was dispatched to the family residence. When this tragic incident occurred, we conducted a thorough Death Investigation and we are very confident that no foul play was involved while at school or at the child's home that contributed to his death. There is no evidence at this time that would lead us to believe that this death was caused by anything other than natural causes. We have been in constant contact with the medical personnel at Children's Hospital who treated the patient, the Department of Forensic Sciences, the Chilton County Corner's Office, the District Attorney's Office, family members, adults and other students who had contact with the child during school hours and until he arrived at his home on Friday. We have concluded our investigation and based on the facts we have found no evidence that any type of physical altercation occurred that would have been a contributing factor to his death. This is a very tragic loss for this family and we offer our condolences to them. The family has heard many rumors about their child since this terrible incident, and those rumors are simply not true. We would ask that the family be respected as they mourn and deal with this tragic loss."