Family: Teenager driven to suicide by cyberbullying is still getting harassed online
When Brandy Vela killed herself in front of her family in late November, her parents said she was driven to suicide by relentless cyberbullies.
Now, more than two weeks later, the abuse hasn’t stopped, even after the Velas have buried their daughter.
Raul Vela told KHOU that people have made fake Facebook accounts under his 18-year-old daughter’s name and posted abusive messages, including images of guns and Brandy’s face photoshopped onto a pig.
“I thought all this was behind us but it’s not over,” Vela said.
Vela also told CNN that on a memorial page created by one of Brandy’s friends, someone began to post disturbing messages.
The poster was “harassing Brandy about being a big fat cow, writing ‘you finally did it’ with a picture of a gun, writing ‘you’re a coward,’ ‘you should have done this a long time ago,’ some really horrific things,” Vela said.
Vela provided screenshots of the posts to CNN, who declined to publish them but described them as “disturbing.”
“One of the posts shows a smiling Brandy with the words ‘my face when you shoot yourself in front of your family,’ ” CNN reporter Carma Hassan wrote. “Another is a stick figure holding a gun with the words, ‘oops am I dead?’ A third shows a gun hidden inside a book.”
Before her death, Brandy was harassed online about her weight by multiple bullies, her sister told the Associated Press.
“They would make dating websites of her, and they would put her number and they would put her picture (on the sites), and lie about her age and say she is giving herself up for sex for free, to call her,” Jacqueline Vela said.
Raul Vela has reported the continued messages to the Texas City Police Department, who is already investigating the cyber bullying her family said led to her death. However, the investigation is “difficult,” according to KPRC, because the bullies used an “untraceable” smartphone application. Texas City police Capt. Joe Stanton told CNN they do not have any suspects or persons of interest.
Under Texas law, cyberbullying and online harassment can lead to fines and even jail time. But even still, Raul Vela told CNN that he wants to increase awareness and make it even harder for youths to pick on their peers in the first place.
“I’m not trying to blame people or point fingers. I want people who are still being bullied to know that I want to change things. I feel like she put this in my hands to try and get help for people in the same situation. It’s unfortunate that something tragic has to happen to make changes come,” Vela said.
This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Family: Teenager driven to suicide by cyberbullying is still getting harassed online."