The mother of an 11-year-old girl who died by suicide at a New Jersey school says her daughter had been bullied for years. She spoke with NBC10’s Karen Hua.
Elaina Loalbo was emotional as she played a voice memo left behind by her 11-year-old daughter Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez.
“Never ever ever ever be a bully,” the girl says in the memo. “Never be a bully. Or no one will talk to you. But I don’t want that.”
On February 6, Felicia’s body was found in a bathroom stall at the F.W. Holbein Middle School in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Her death was ruled a suicide by hanging. It occurred two weeks after her father died from pancreatic cancer.
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In an exclusive interview with NBC10, Loalbo said her daughter had been bullied for years, including her last two years at Holbein.
“They called her a furry. She was not a furry,” Loalbo said. “They called her gay. They called her straight. They called her bi. They called her all kinds of things.”
Loalbo believes her daughter’s death was preventable.
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“My daughter was being tortured within the walls of that school,” she said.
Loalbo told NBC10 she reported the bullying to Holbein administrators four times in person. She also said her daughter sent about a dozen emails to her school counselor, including one only four days before her death.
“She’s telling her teachers. The teachers were witnesses to most of the bullying, physical altercations that were happening in classrooms and on school trips,” LoAlbo said.
NBC10 reached out to the Mount Holly Township School District. They declined to comment on LoAlbo’s claims though the superintendent released a statement.
“The district cooperated fully, including providing surveillance footage and all documents related to the investigation,” the superintendent wrote. “We are committed to a culture that involves our entire school community in making our schools safe and secure for every student.”
Following an investigation into the girl’s death, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office closed the case. Investigators with the office said the security footage showed Felicia was alone inside the bathroom and they determined there was no foul play.
“The investigation has concluded and arrangements will be made in the near future for Ms. LoAlbo to be shown the footage,” a spokesperson wrote.
LoAlbo believes more needs to be done however.
“I think the school has continued to sweep the bullying instances under the rug just like they did with my daughter before her passing,” she said.
LoAlbo wants her daughter’s alleged bullies to be questioned and considered as potential factors in her death.
“My next steps will be so that no other parent has to fight like I do and no other child ever has to suffer like my daughter has,” she said.
LoAlbo said she will eventually pursue legal action against the school but hopes something changes in the meantime.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
