A 10-year-old Texas boy tragically took his own life after he was bullied at school by other boys, who beat him up and wrote ‘Kill yourself’ on his tablet.
Crystal Smith, of Katy, said her son Kevin Reese Jr had been a goofy child who loved to draw and paint.
But at school, he was being tormented.
‘I never thought he would go this far, never,’ she told KTRK. ‘I’m still in disbelief. It’s taking me awhile to actually accept the fact that this happened.’
Kevin Reese Jr, 10, tragically took his own life after he was bullied at school by other boys, who beat him up and wrote ‘Kill yourself’ on his tablet
Crystal Smith, of Katy, said her son (pictured together) had been a goofy child who loved to draw and paint. But at school, he was being tormented
Smith said she thought her son was ‘handling’ the situation and had no idea how bad it had become.
She said boys in his class wrote ‘Kill yourself, you don’t belong here’ on his tablet and even beat him up.
‘When it got physical back in November, he came home crying because he didn’t fight back,’ she said. ‘And one of the boys punched him several times coming from recess.’
Just two months later, Smith said her son ‘just had enough”.
‘He felt that he was backed into a corner,’ she added.
On the afternoon of January 21, Kevin and his 13-year-old sister got off the school bus.
Smith said boys in the fifth grader’s class wrote ‘Kill yourself, you don’t belong here’ on his tablet and even beat him up
Just two months later, Smith said her son ‘just had enough”. ‘He felt that he was backed into a corner,’ she added
Smith was out of town for work, and Kevin’s stepdad was on his way home. But it would be too late.
It was Kevin’s sister who found his body.
‘She was just screaming on the phone and I didn’t understand and she screamed “Kevin,”‘ Smith recalled.
‘He hung himself in his closet. I told her to hang up with me and cut him down, and while you’re cutting him down call 911.’
‘Everything was not real,’ Smith added. ‘I was in a place where I just couldn’t move.’
Kevin hung himself in his closet (pictured) in January. His 13-year-old sister found his body
Kevin’s school district claimed no allegations or evidence of bullying had been reported to the school or the Cy-Fair Tipline, the district’s anonymous reporting system.
But Smith did in fact reach out to a school official, who left her a voicemail saying they had looked into the incident after Kevin was punched by a boy in the school.
The official said the other boy denied there had been a ‘physical fight’.
‘They told me they never found any bullying going on,’ Smith added.
Kevin’s school district claimed no allegations or evidence of bullying had been reported to the school or the Cy-Fair Tipline, the district’s anonymous reporting system
But Smith did in fact reach out to a school official, who left her a voicemail saying they had looked into the incident after Kevin was punched by a boy in the school
After the voicemail was given to Kevin’s district, they changed their tune and said an official had spoken to Smith about the incident.
The school official who sent Smith the voicemail is no longer at Robinson Elementary and has since been re-assigned to another position in the district.
Smith has left Kevin’s bedroom untouched since his death. His homework is still sitting on his bed.
‘I just want to find the answer, what happened that day, what was going through his mind?’ she said.
But the devastated mother hopes that by speaking out, she can help other parents.
‘Pay attention to your child, don’t assume that things are handled at the school,’ she said. ‘Stay on top of it until you see something come out on the end.’
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.
For confidential support in Australia LIFELINE: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
After the voicemail was given to Kevin’s district, they changed their tune and said an official at Robinson Elementary School (pictured) had spoken to Smith about the incident