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Phoebe Prince "Suicide by Bullying": Teen's Death Angers Town Asking Why Bullies Roam the Halls

(Family Photo)
(CBS)
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (CBS) 15-year-old Phoebe Prince moved from Ireland to Massachusetts, with the promise of a new life. Instead, she took her own life, to escape allegedly vicious bullying, on Facebook, text messages, and in school, and now angry residents of her South Hadley, Mass. community want answers, and punishment for the bullies.

According to The Boston Globe, Prince was relentlessly bullied by girls who called her "a slut," or "an Irish slut." On the day of her death, Jan. 14, Prince was walking home from school when bullies drove by in a car, hurling insults and an energy drink in her direction. Prince kept walking to her house, straight to her closet, and hanged herself.

Photo: Family photo of Phoebe Nora Mary Prince, 15, who committed suicide on January 14.

Tuesday night, Feb. 2, outraged South Hadley residents brought their concerns to the town's Board of Selectmen, according to WBZ News Radio. Some want to know why the alleged bullies are still in school. "What kind of signal are we giving kids at school if some of the bullies are still walking the hallways acting proud," said parent Kathleen Keene.

Photo: Phoebe Prince, 15, committed suicide apparently due to vicious bullying.

But some had other concerns, the station reported, like high school senior Steven Grabowski, who said, "Name and shame these bullies and they will find themselves in the same place that Phoebe was and we will find more families with losing their loved one and more lives torn apart."

The South Hadley police chief told WBZ Radio, "We've subpoenaed records from Facebook, we've subpoenaed web pages from Facebook, hoping to track down perpetrators of some of this criminal threatening."

State representative John Sciback said he expects "there will be criminal charges filed at some point."

Too late for Phoebe Prince.

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