\n
The heartbreaking loss of 10-year-old Autumn Bushman has left her family and community in mourning\u2014and searching for answers. A fourth-grader at Mountain View Elementary School in Roanoke, Virginia, Autumn was remembered by her parents as vibrant, compassionate, and full of life. But in the weeks leading up to her death, her parents noticed subtle but troubling changes that they now wish could have been fully understood in time.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe was the youngest and probably the wildest,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
her mother, Summer Bushman, told WDBJ.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe was a ball full of energy. It didn\u2019t matter if you thought she was going to fall through my living room floor. She was at it with the cartwheels inside of my house at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
That brightness began to dim in the weeks before tragedy struck. Autumn started sleeping more, smiling less, and began wearing darker clothing\u2014changes her parents now recognize as possible signs of distress. Her obituary described her as a child with<\/p>\n
\n\u201cdeep empathy, a soft heart, and always ready to lend a listening ear or offer support.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Autumn\u2019s kind heart, however, may have made her a target. Her parents shared that she was a victim of relentless bullying\u2014both at school and online. They say Autumn was targeted because she stood up for others.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe was one if somebody was getting bullied or picked on, she would stand up for them,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Summer explained.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAnd unfortunately, that may have made her a target for more bullying.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
While they had reported the bullying to the school, the Bushman family feels that not enough was done to intervene.<\/p>\n
Autumn\u2019s father, Mark Bushman, also spoke about the added pressures children face in the digital age.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis is an age where they have tablets and they have phones, so it\u2019s happening around the clock. They can\u2019t really escape,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
he said, describing the constant exposure that comes with social media.
\nIn response to Autumn\u2019s death, Roanoke County Public Schools issued a statement expressing their sorrow and promising a review.<\/p>\n<\/body>
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