Parents Detail Bullying That Allegedly Led to 10-Year-Old Son's Suicide In Lawsuit Against School

The parents of a 10-year-old Indiana boy who allegedly committed suicide after relentless bullying have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his school.

Sam and Nicole Teusch -- the parents of Sammy Teusch, who was found dead by his family on May 5, 2024 -- filed the lawsuit in Hancock County Circuit Court on Tuesday against the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation and Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation Board of Trustees.

In the suit (via WRTV), the boy's parents allege "callous indifference" by the District and a number of its employees, who they claim were "repeatedly informed about the bullying of Sammy Teusch ('Sammy') by students under the District's supervision, and yet did nothing to address it."

"As a direct and proximate result of the District's and these individuals' gross dereliction of arguably their most important duty, Sammy took his own life on May 5, 2024," they allege in the suit.

Remembering their son as a "smart, funny and loving boy, who loved to fish, play with robots, play soccer, be outdoors, and lead his family around to gather up trash whenever they went to the beach or on a nature hike," the Teusches claim that once he began school at Weston Elementary in Greenfield, Indiana, he "was subjected to bullying by his classmates."

Per the suit, Sammy was called "Dahmer," in reference to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. His parents claim that when the boy complained to his teacher about the name, "her only response was that, in her opinion, Sammy did somewhat resemble Jeffrey Dahmer."

The docs claim Sammy would "flip his desk over in an attempt to draw his teacher's attention to the bullying," but his "cry for help did not work" -- alleging the boy would instead be disciplined for "what she perceived to be disruptive conduct."

After parents also allegedly complained to the principal, they say she allowed Sammy to have lunch in her office -- but noted, "It is unknown whether [the principal] took any disciplinary actions towards the bullies, or informed their parents."

When Sammy shifted to Greenfield Intermediate School as he entered fourth grade, his parents said the bullying continued.

"During breakfast period, Sammy was chased throughout the school, and would attempt to hide in a bathroom stall, often refusing to come out," reads the suit, before detailing how he was allegedly "physically assaulted" by another student. The student is accused of choking and punching the other boy in the face, allegedly resulting in abrasions and swelling.

Another student is accused of hitting Sammy in the head with an iPad, leaving the boy with a black eye and neck and shoulder injuries, per the docs. That student was also accused of stuffing Sammy into a garbage can.

The suit claims the boy's bullies also made fun of his glasses and teeth, calling him "Beaver Teeth."

According to the lawsuit, approximately 20 reports were made by Sammy's parents to his teachers, principal, vice principal and school counselor.

"Despite knowledge of the continued bullying and harassment, the District did not take appropriate corrective action. This callous disregard for Sammy's safety exasperated him, at one point telling [his father], 'They don't listen to me daddy,'" the suit alleges.

The suit also claims the school participates in "victim shaming and victim blaming," alleging administration maintained the bullying was a "Sammy problem," he was the instigator and he was being bullied "because of his 'mental problems.'"

On May 4, per the docs, one of the alleged bullies called a mutual friend who was visiting Sammy's sister Scarlett -- and "threatened Sammy saying, 'Oh, you wait until Monday. I'm getting you. I'm getting you."

"But [the alleged bully] never got the opportunity to carry through on his threats. On May 5, 2024, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Sammy was found hanging from his bunk bed by his 13- year-old brother Xander Teusch," reads the docs.

"After calling 911, [his father] went to Sammy, grabbed him and said 'Oh my God, oh my God, no, no, no, no, no.' Sam started doing compressions, breathing into Sammy, and trying to get a heartbeat."

The child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

According to the lawsuit, the alleged bully who made the May 4 phone call "acknowledged his responsibility for Sammy taking his life." A Snapchat screenshot was also included in the docs, showing someone say, "It's all my fault for bullying him." The suit adds, "This admission --- from a child -- is in stark contrast to the District's disregard for and denial of the bullying taking place at its schools."

The filing also accuses another alleged bully for taking photos of Sammy in his open casket at his funeral. The suit claims this student "was thereafter seen laughing while looking at [their] phone, in a blood-curdling moment reminiscent of the movie Children of the Corn." 

This student, alleges the docs, "was no ordinary bully" and was "clearly disturbed, if not inhuman" -- before the suit claims the school district "did nothing" after being "repeatedly informed" of the student's alleged conduct.

In addition to wrongful death, Sammy's parents accuse the plaintiffs of negligent care and supervision, while requesting a jury trial.

When reached for comment after the filing by WRTV, the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation reportedly referred the outlet to an earlier statement.

"The loss of a child to suicide is deflating to any community, and Greenfield was clearly in shock for a few weeks as we closed last school year. Members of the school corporation and the larger community grieved with the Teusch family, and we will continue to extend them support and grace in the aftermath of the event," they said previously.

"Since that terrible day (May 5th), we have reviewed our records with great scrutiny and interviewed many people close to the situation. To this day, we have found nothing to validate the allegation you referenced," they added. "We believe an objective review of the records would reach the same conclusion. In Greenfield-Central we do want to ensure that we are doing all we can do to support our students, regardless of the needs they have when they walk through our doors. We will always maintain that commitment to our students and families."

An investigation by Greenfield, Indiana police previously 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.

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."