The parents of 10-year-old Autumn Bushman, who died by suicide on March 21, are speaking out about the heartbreaking changes they noticed in her before her death.
Autumn, a fourth-grader at Mountain View Elementary in Roanoke, had once been energetic and free-spirited, but in the weeks leading up to her death, she became withdrawn—sleeping more, smiling less, and dressing in dark clothing. Her parents, Mark and Summer Bushman, say she was targeted for standing up against bullying, and that harassment continued even after they reported it to the school. “She would stand up for other kids,” said her mother. “That may have made her more vulnerable.”