An 11-year-old girl in Texas died by suicide after allegedly being bullied by her classmates over her family’s immigration status—who reportedly went so far as to threaten to call the authorities on her parents.
Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, who played the French Horn, loved to swim, and enjoyed Friday movie nights with her family, died in hospital at the Medical City of Dallas on Feb. 8 according to an online obituary. Her mother, Marbella Carranza, found her unresponsive in their home in Gainesville, Texas five days prior.
“All week I’ve been waiting for a miracle; waiting for my daughter to get better,” Marbella told CNN affiliate KUVN. “But unfortunately there was nothing that could be done.” Jocelynn’s funeral was held Wednesday morning.
A student of Gainesville Intermediate School, Jocelynn was allegedly bullied by her classmates who said “they were going to call immigration so they could take her parents away and she would be left alone,” according to her mother. She did not comment on the family’s immigration status during her interview with KUVN.
“It appears the school was aware of it all, but they never, they never told me what was happening with my daughter,” Marbella continued, noting that she learned Jocelynn was attending counseling sessions at the school after investigators informed her. “It appears she would go once or twice a week to counseling to report what was happening.”
“[I want] justice because it’s not fair,” she added. “The school was negligent for not keeping me informed of what was going on with my daughter.”
Gainesville Intermediate School did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The Gainesville Independent School District Police is currently investigating the bullying allegations, according to CNN.
The area’s Independent School District also told the outlet in a statement: “Whenever we receive a report of bullying, we respond swiftly to ensure all students are safe physically and emotionally. While we cannot release any information about specific students or incidents, our schools have several policies in place to combat bullying and resolve conflicts.”
