Death of bullied B.C. girl who told her story via YouTube sets off police probe
October 12, 2012 - 3:01 PM
VANCOUVER - The RCMP in British Columbia have an investigation underway, but say it's too early to know where a probe will lead after the suspected suicide of a teen who made a video saying she was being relentlessly bullied.
Const. Jamie Phillipson could only say police are at the early stages of an investigation, and their primary role now is to act on behalf of the victim's family.
An official with the B.C. coroner's office says preliminary indications are that 15-year-old Amanda Todd of Port Coquitlam, B.C., took her own life earlier this week.
About five weeks ago, Todd posted a haunting video on YouTube where she explains how she had been tormented by bullies online and in person, which plunged her into a major depression.
Simon Fraser University criminologist Brenda Morrison says the response to bullying needs to change and the community needs to step up to fight back.
Morrison says no one appeared to stand up for Todd when she was being bullied, and she needed a community to care for her.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012