An 11-year-old girl at the receiving end of "torturous" bullying has died after being found unresponsive in a bathroom stall at her school.
Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez was found unresponsive at F. W. Holbein School in Mount Holly on February 6 and passed away just two days later, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.
The youngster had been the victim of severe bullying for years, the girl's mother, Elaina LoAlbo, told NBC Philadelphia.
The grieving mom told the outlet: "They called her a furry. She was not a furry. They called her gay. They called her straight. They called her bi. They called her all kinds of things. My daughter was being tortured within the walls of that school."
The late pre-teen and her mom had made staff at the school aware of the taunting by her peers, but, according to LoAlbo, nothing was done about it.
LoAlbo said she reported it to Holbein authorities several times in person, and her daughter sent multiple emails to her school counselor, the most recent one four days before her death, per NBC Philadelphia.
"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.
Felicia's body was found in a bathroom stall at her school and her subsequent death was ruled a hanging suicide by the medical examiner. This came two weeks after her dad died from pancreatic cancer.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on March 29 that its investigation, "which included a review of the school’s surveillance cameras, determined that she was alone in the restroom when this tragic action occurred. The investigation further determined that no foul play was involved."
The prosecution in the case said that they would grant the mother's request to look at the surveillance footage.
Robert Mungo, superintendent of the Mount Holly Township School District, said the school system has been cooperating with the prosecutor's office amid the investigation.
He said: "Our district suffered a loss, which continues to weigh heavily on the school community.
"School counselors and administrators, with the support of the Burlington County School Crisis Response Team, have and will continue to increase outreach to students and staff and are prepared to aid them in processing this latest information as they continue to grieve."
While Mungo did not comment specifically on the bullying Felicia endured, he did say that the district is focused on "strengthening our support system for students, especially regarding their social and emotional well-being" and is committed to "making our schools safe and secure for every student."
LoAlbo is planning to take legal action. "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.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
.jpg_P6zy08?tr=h-184)
