Police Confirm 10-Year-Old Boy Who Died By Suicide Was Bullied

Police have confirmed that 10-year-old Sammy Teusch was bullied both in and outside of school before he died by suicide in May.

An investigation by Greenfield, Indiana police confirmed that "there was some bullying taking place" in Sammy’s life before the child’s "traumatic" death, according to a news release issued by Police Chief Brian Hartman Friday.

Per the investigation, the Hancock County coroner ruled Sammy died from "asphyxiation by strangulation," Hartman said. He also noted that "there will be no criminal charges filed with the Hancock County Prosecutor."

The police chief also suggested there has been "a lot of blame and finger pointing" going on in the community following Sammy's death.

"Any time there is a tragic event, we, as a society, want to place blame on someone or something to help take away the pain we are experiencing and get some understanding," Hartman shared. "We as a community need to understand we have a problem, no matter the reason for this tragic and untimely death."

He continued, "We have children who feel their lives are so bad that it is not worth living. We need to come together and give these children a life worth living."

People spoke with Sam Teusch, Sammy's father, following Hartman's statement, in which he hit back against the suggestion that Sammy experienced bullying in his own family.

"They just spun a horrible, terrible situation," Sam told the outlet. "At the end of this day, our son is going to be gone," he says. "Sunday, it's going to be one month that he is gone [and] here isn't 20 seconds in my life that I don't expect him to run around the corner."

Sam went maintain that Sammy's death "had nothing to do with his home life," and reiterated their previous claims that Sammy took his own life after being bullied at school.

"That's why he didn't want to go to school," Sam continued. "Do you think he would have wanted to stay home if there was bad stuff going on here? No, he wanted to stay home because this was his safe place."

Sammy's family first shared the news of his death last month after organizing a GoFundMe page where they revealed that the 10-year-old had "unexpectedly ended his time here on earth, Sunday May 5th 2024, as a result of bullying."

Speaking with 13WTHR, Sam said, "I held him in my arms. I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and anytime I close my eyes, it's all I can see." His mother, Nicole, added, "He was my little boy. He was my baby. He was the youngest one."

According to Sammy's parents, their son was being bullied right up until the day he died, claiming they contacted their son's school 20 times about the bullying.

"They were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth. It went on for a long time," Sam said, adding that things got physical.

"He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything, and I called the school, and I'm like, 'What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse. And it's not getting any better. In fact, it's getting worse,'" Sam said.

The two also mentioned a recent situation where Sammy felt cornered in the school bathroom.

According to the outlet, the superintendent at the school said no bullying report was ever submitted -- however, said that school administrators had regular conversations with the family throughout the year.

"We were made aware of his death on Sunday afternoon, and we dispatched our crisis response team to both Greenfield Intermediate School and Greenfield Central Junior High School (where he has two siblings) to start the week," a statement from the district, via WANE 15, read.

"Our staff in Greenfield-Central has worked with the Teusch family quite a bit over the last 18 months. Contact between school personnel and the parents was frequent," they continued.

"The parents did report the manner of death as a suicide, and we are investigating their claims related to bullying," the statement concluded before noting that the district had been cooperating with the Greenfield Police Department amid the investigation.

Sammy was laid to rest on May 15 and nearly 200 people -- most of whom never met the boy -- showed up to pay tribute and show their support for his family. Among the guests were the child's classmates and more than 100 motorcyclists who acted as escorts.

The family's GoFundMe page, which was created to help pay for the memorial service, which has already surpassed its goal of $30,000, reaching over $74,000 in donations.

"Sammy was the best kid with a wonderful personality. He was smart, funny, charming and deeply empathetic. He brightened the lives of anyone he encountered and was the life of the 'party,'" his family shared on the fundraising page. "I know my baby brother didn't deserve this. A kid with so much love and so much light gone too soon. None of this makes sense and I don't think it ever will ..."

In an effort to make sure something like this never happens again, Sammy's father is asking people to sign a petition urging Congress to take up legislation to curb bullying nationwide.

"I love him," Sam said before concluding his interview with People. "He’s forever going to be 10."

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.

Stomp Out Bullying also provides resources for parents of children who are being bullied.