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Speaker 1: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Breaking news tonight.

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Speaker 2: Did a precious, beautiful little boy just ten years old

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Speaker 2: take his own life? Kill himself after horribly cruel school

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Speaker 2: bullies relentlessly mock his glasses and his teeth? At this hour,

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Speaker 2: criminal charges against those school bullies are being investigated.

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Speaker 1: So why did the school do nothing?

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Speaker 2: I want answers now, Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This

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Speaker 2: is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.

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Speaker 3: Hundreds of mourners fill the pews at Brandywine Church to

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Speaker 3: remember Sammy Toysch. The Iron Sharpen's Iron Motorcycle Ministry volunteers

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Speaker 3: to escort Toysh's casket to the cemetery. More than one

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Speaker 3: hundred bikers had the procession. Community members and classmates cry

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Speaker 3: each other and leave flowers on Sammy's casket at the burial.

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Speaker 2: When I look at Sammy, I think of Opie, Andy

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Speaker 2: and Mayburry. Look at this little angel, completely scrubbed in sunshine.

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Speaker 2: You're just hearing our friends at Crime on Line describing

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Speaker 2: a motorcade for his funeral so full of life and joy.

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Speaker 2: You can just see the energy. He's gone. He's gone

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Speaker 2: because of school bullies. Joining me an all star panel

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Speaker 2: to understand what is happening and frankly, why the school

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Speaker 2: did nothing. Of course they claim that's not true, but

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Speaker 2: I think that it is joining me right now. Special

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Speaker 2: guest is Sammy's father, sam Toys.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for being with us.

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Speaker 4: Thank you for having me. Nancy, I really appreciate you

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Speaker 4: letting us use your platform to get this word out.

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Speaker 4: There's nothing we're going to do to bring Sammy back

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Speaker 4: to the voice.

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Speaker 2: Mister Toyce, I've said this before. As a crime victim myself,

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Speaker 2: after my fiance was smartered, I thought I knew it

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Speaker 2: all about grief and mourning and trying to go through

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Speaker 2: hell and come out on the other end to do

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Speaker 2: something positive with my life.

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Speaker 1: You know what, I knew nothing.

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Speaker 2: Nothing, zero, Because now that I have my two children,

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Speaker 2: I don't think there's anything that could compare to losing

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Speaker 2: your child.

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Speaker 1: What happened that.

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Speaker 5: Day, I really wish I knew.

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Speaker 4: I've replayed it in my head a million times.

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Speaker 5: You know. We got up Sunday morning.

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Speaker 4: And I was making eggs for the kids, and Sammy

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Speaker 4: and Xander wanted pancakes, and I didn't have enough left

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Speaker 4: from Saturday morning, so I ran over to Dollar General

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Speaker 4: to get pancakes, and I mean I was probably gone five, six,

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Speaker 4: seven minutes and I got back and I and as

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Speaker 4: soon as I got back, opened up the package.

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Speaker 5: I'm dumping it in. Nikki had told Xander to go get.

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Speaker 4: To go get Sammy because it was his grandma's birthday and.

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Speaker 5: She wanted to call him. And I have all the

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Speaker 5: kids say happy birthday.

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Speaker 4: And then I heard Xander's screen.

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Speaker 5: And I ran upstairs and.

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Speaker 4: Found Sammy and I started CPR and I held him

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Speaker 4: in my arms and I opened his eyes and I

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Speaker 4: breathed it to him, and I was on the phone

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Speaker 4: with nine one one instantly before I even made it

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Speaker 4: to his bedroom.

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Speaker 5: I was on the phone with nine one one couple.

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Speaker 4: I don't know how long after that, somebody busted by

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Speaker 4: me in my house upstairs and they said, I'm I'm

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Speaker 4: a fireman, I'm your neighbor. I heard this on the scanner,

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Speaker 4: and he started working on Sammy as the ambulances started

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Speaker 4: pulling up and.

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Speaker 5: The fireman and police.

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Speaker 4: And you know, it wasn't it wasn't a special morning.

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Speaker 4: There was nothing going on. You know, I had just

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Speaker 4: seen him. He was laying in bed with Nikki. He was,

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Speaker 4: he was snuggling with his mom.

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Speaker 5: I don't know.

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Speaker 4: I keep a million times if I would have just

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Speaker 4: got home that Bama got your pancakes, you know, coma.

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Speaker 4: It's all been if I if, I I wish I

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Speaker 4: I could have, I should have. I didn't, you know,

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Speaker 4: I mean, it's been a million different things and it

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Speaker 4: hasn't stopped.

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Speaker 5: I don't. I don't know. And then, you know, come

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Speaker 5: to find out later he had.

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Speaker 4: We had his phone, so so we didn't have to

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Speaker 4: worry about anything. You know, there was another another kid's

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Speaker 4: phone that that this kid was calling and FaceTime and

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Speaker 4: then kept saying stuff to saying about you know, waiting

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Speaker 4: until you get to school on Monday.

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Speaker 5: You know, you're you're really going to get it.

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Speaker 4: And I, you know, I didn't know that until after

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Speaker 4: Xander had actually taken Sammy out of the room and downstairs.

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Speaker 4: So they sat there and played roblocks and then fell

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Speaker 4: asleep on the couch downstairs.

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Speaker 5: And I wish I had an answer for you. I

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Speaker 5: wish I had an answer for me.

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Speaker 1: You know, I do the same thing even now. I reply.

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Speaker 2: Everything that happened leading up to Keith Smarter that the

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Speaker 2: weekend before the morning up that day.

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Speaker 4: The day before, we had soccer games in the morning,

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Speaker 4: the twins at soccer game, and then we went into

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Speaker 4: Indianapolis and there's a place called.

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Speaker 5: Pins down there that they got a bunch of games in.

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Speaker 4: So we went there and played ping pong and ring

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Speaker 4: toss and you know, all kinds of other stuff pinballs,

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Speaker 4: and they had a great day, you know. And then

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Speaker 4: we got home and cooked on the grill. It was

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Speaker 4: real late. It was like nine thirty ten o'clock. Can

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Speaker 4: we barbecue hot dogs on the grill and then roasted

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Speaker 4: marshmallows and Sammy roasted marshmallows for Nicky, you know. I

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Speaker 4: you know, nothing extraordinary stands out that it was, you know,

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Speaker 4: because that's what we do all the time, where we

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Speaker 4: always do family.

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Speaker 2: I think that that is why everybody, including me and

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Speaker 2: I don't believe I'm afraid of anything except something happening

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Speaker 2: to my twins. And that is why what you're saying

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Speaker 2: is so scary. It's scary because everything no it is

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Speaker 2: we thought was fine.

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Speaker 1: But everything's fine. At home. You're relling out.

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Speaker 2: You're spending so much time with your children, You and Nicole,

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Speaker 2: they're your universe.

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Speaker 1: But what happens at school? And when I found out,

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Speaker 1: mister Toys.

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Speaker 2: That people school bullies were making fun of Sammy's glasses

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Speaker 2: and his teeth. I don't think my brother will mind

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Speaker 2: me telling this, but when he was little, all the

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Speaker 2: way until he got his braces off, which was into

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Speaker 2: high school, everyone not us, but I didn't know this

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Speaker 2: till years later, called him horse face Grace.

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Speaker 1: He was a little boy, little little boy, he had.

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Speaker 2: But teeth, and my parents had to take out a

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Speaker 2: payment plan.

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Speaker 1: Remember the coupons that you'd filled out the coupon to.

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Speaker 2: Pay the loan and send in the check. They did

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Speaker 2: that for my brother to you know, get his teeth strayed.

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Speaker 2: And they had nothing, no money, but they did the

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Speaker 2: relentless bully. I never knew about it. They must have

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Speaker 2: have known, mister toych I mean, who are these children?

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Speaker 4: Well, you know, the biggest thing is like as you

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Speaker 4: can imagine, I mean, you know that when you put

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Speaker 4: something on social media or anything else, that there's you

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Speaker 4: got to expect crap from both sides. So while the

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Speaker 4: outpouring of love and support has been great, I have

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Speaker 4: also gotten horrible, horrible messages about how this is our fault.

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Speaker 4: We're doing this for monetary gain.

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Speaker 1: Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Who is wrong with people?

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Speaker 2: Now? Do you see what's happening, mister toysh They are

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Speaker 2: trying to do to you and Nicole?

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Speaker 1: What was done to Sammy? Bullying, trolling, hateful one.

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Speaker 4: The one we got yesterday said well, the kid didn't

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Speaker 4: need braces. You should have tooken him and got braces.

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Speaker 4: And the you know, the fact of the matter is,

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Speaker 4: and he still has baby teeth.

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Speaker 1: You can't get braces that early.

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Speaker 4: You can't get braces. And like I told Sammy, you

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Speaker 4: got adult teeth coming in your little head. And here

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Speaker 4: pretty soon your head's going to equal out and everything's

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Speaker 4: everything's going to be in place where it needs to be.

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Speaker 4: You're beautiful, you know, there's nothing wrong with you.

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Speaker 5: You know. Even after he got the glasses and.

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Speaker 4: It was it was wonderful that day because Sammy loved

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Speaker 4: the outdoors. And when he first put those on and

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Speaker 4: when we went outside, he didn't know that the world

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Speaker 4: was supposed to look the way it was, you know,

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Speaker 4: and the wayflowers looked and grass and animals running by

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Speaker 4: and everything.

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Speaker 5: He was fascinated.

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Speaker 4: It was like he was seeing it for the first time,

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Speaker 4: and he absolutely loved him. And then that next day,

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Speaker 4: getting off the bus, you know, I was standing at

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Speaker 4: the end of my driveway and I watched him get

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Speaker 4: off the bus two doors down, and I could see

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Speaker 4: as soon as he got off he had those glasses

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Speaker 4: clenched in his fist and he was crying and and

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Speaker 4: he said, I'm ever wearing these stupid things again. There,

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Speaker 4: you know, it just it just gave him added ammunition.

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Speaker 4: I called the school, you know, and I'm mister toys.

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Speaker 4: We you know, we're handling this and and we're making

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Speaker 4: sure that stuff like this stops.

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Speaker 5: And I took for granted that they were, you know up.

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Speaker 4: I thought they were up until I seen the thing

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Speaker 4: from the school corporation that said there have been no reports.

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Speaker 5: Of bullying being made. And then it's like, wait.

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Speaker 4: A minute, Wait a minute, you're you're calling me a

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Speaker 4: liar that I didn't sit here right in this chair

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Speaker 4: that I'm sitting in right now and hold Sammy. I

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Speaker 4: don't know how many times while he cried, trying to

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Speaker 4: explain to him, you know, the unfortunate part of being

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Speaker 4: a human being. You know, there's people out there who

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Speaker 4: do not care what you've got going on at home,

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Speaker 4: and do not care what anything else they're They're here

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Speaker 4: to persecute, and they're here to punish, and a lot

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Speaker 4: of times it's become it's because they come from an awful,

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Speaker 4: terrible place. And and that's that's a discussion that I

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Speaker 4: had with Sammy about how you don't know where these

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Speaker 4: kids come from.

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Speaker 5: You don't know the awfulness that they're facing at home.

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Speaker 4: Most most you know, not most, I don't want to

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Speaker 4: say most, but a lot of kids don't have mommy.

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Speaker 5: And daddy to come home to and cry on.

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Speaker 4: And he thought about things like that, and then he

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Speaker 4: also thought about the fact that if he fights back,

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Speaker 4: he's the aggressor.

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Speaker 5: He's got to be. He's got to be scared of

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Speaker 5: getting in trouble at school for defending himself.

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Speaker 4: Where As Americans we should no matter what your age is,

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Speaker 4: you should be able to defend yourself without fear or repercussion.

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Speaker 4: It's terrible, and it's the same with the friends. You know,

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Speaker 4: his friends couldn't help him.

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Speaker 2: I hear you saying that these bullies may may come

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Speaker 2: from a bad place, as you put it, maybe not

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Speaker 2: the best home, but that is no excuse for what

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Speaker 2: they did, and there is no excuse.

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Speaker 5: I feel terrible for all of them.

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Speaker 2: There is no excuse for the school now saying they

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Speaker 2: would never warned about the bullies.

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Speaker 1: I know for a fact you told them and you

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Speaker 1: asked for help.

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Speaker 2: They are claiming they knew nothing, and they keep talking

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Speaker 2: about all their grief and they're out.

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Speaker 1: Pouring of grief.

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Speaker 5: Now.

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Speaker 2: They are saying that they have worked with you guys

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Speaker 2: over the lane last months.

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Speaker 1: But did that ever happen?

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Speaker 4: They've talked to us several times. I mean, that's what

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Speaker 4: he's talking about, you know. I mean they're they're just

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Speaker 4: pushing the buck.

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Speaker 1: Did they do anything to help?

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Speaker 5: No?

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Speaker 4: No, even the time when he got smacked in the

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Speaker 4: face with his iPad on the bus, you know, he

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Speaker 4: got kicked off the bus for that. They said at

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Speaker 4: that point in time police would be contacted.

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Speaker 5: This is assault. I don't know for sure if that

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Speaker 5: happened or not. I'm sure that that'll come out in this.

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Speaker 4: But you know, the one guy that watched the video

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Speaker 4: said this is the worst video I've ever seen.

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Speaker 2: Joining me in Ulstar panel, but special guest Sammy's father

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Speaker 2: is with us. Sam Toysch. Mister Toysch, you mentioned that

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Speaker 2: there was a video which was, as you said, horrible.

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Speaker 2: What was the video on the school bus? Correct?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, but I was never allowed to see it. I

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Speaker 4: still haven't seen it. I don't know at this point

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Speaker 4: if I want to see it. I mean, if you

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Speaker 4: know what did it depict? It depicts Sammy getting getting hit,

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Speaker 4: uh not just hit, attacked.

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Speaker 5: You know.

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Speaker 4: They they told me that police we're going to be

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Speaker 4: contacted about this, that you know, someone will be held.

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Speaker 1: Accountable for this, and it never happened.

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Speaker 5: I do not know.

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Speaker 2: That answer is that when Sammy was hit with the iPad. Yes,

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Speaker 2: what did he look like when he got off of

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Speaker 2: the bus.

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Speaker 4: Is that he had a cut by his eyebrow, which

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Speaker 4: is where his glasses had broke, like right here underneath

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Speaker 4: his uh earholders or whatever, so that pushed into his face,

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Speaker 4: knocks his knocked his lens out.

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Speaker 5: This was his right eye. So you know, I did.

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Speaker 5: I do have pictures of that, you know.

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Speaker 2: To Stacy Honowitz joining me, Assistant State's Attorney, Child Abuse Unit,

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Speaker 2: author of the bully at school, really uncool, Stacy, thank

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Speaker 2: you for being with us, you know, Stacy, After covering

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Speaker 2: so many cases about bullies where the victim actually the child,

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Speaker 2: a victim actually commits suicide.

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Speaker 1: I was so worried.

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Speaker 2: Do you know, not one time from pre K to

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Speaker 2: tenth grade as of right now, pre K to tenth grade,

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Speaker 2: did I ever let the twins ride a bus.

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Speaker 1: I rode a bus.

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Speaker 2: Everybody I know rides their children ride the bus because

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Speaker 2: we think it's safe.

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Speaker 1: We're supposed to be safe. It's not.

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Speaker 2: And the abuse only continued one Sammy got to school Stacy,

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Speaker 2: and I know the school is saying they did everything right,

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Speaker 2: be as I don't believe it.

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Speaker 6: Well, I mean, I've seen many cases where things have

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Speaker 6: happened at the school and the school later on goes

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Speaker 6: on to say we were unaware of it. Now, certainly

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Speaker 6: they were aware of it, and the schools know that

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Speaker 6: if somebody calls in about a bullying situation, any kind

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Speaker 6: of criminal situation, any kind of situation that involves their child,

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Speaker 6: there are notes that have to be taken, There are

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Speaker 6: records that have to be kept, There are outside sources

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Speaker 6: that have to be called, such as the police, and

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Speaker 6: certainly if the police were contacted with regard to this,

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Speaker 6: there would have been a statement from dad from the child,

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Speaker 6: something would have happened. I hate to say, but I

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Speaker 6: think lots of times when things happened at school, especially

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Speaker 6: on the school bus, that's really blowed down on the

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Speaker 6: chain as to being investigated. Where was the bus driver?

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Speaker 6: Why didn't the bus driver make a statement? I'm telling

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Speaker 6: you something else, Stacy?

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Speaker 2: When this if the school is wrong, and I have

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Speaker 2: reason to believe they are, when they're saying, well, we

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Speaker 2: did everything right, all of these defenses. If they intimate

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Speaker 2: Sammy's mother and father are lying, then they're looking at

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Speaker 2: a big fat defamation lawsuit.

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Speaker 1: I think they have a.

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Speaker 6: Couple of suits now. If that's the case in defamation,

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Speaker 6: certainly a failure to protect, there's a failure to protect.

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Speaker 6: There's a neglect. There are several things that go along

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Speaker 6: with situations like this. They are rare, but certainly once

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Speaker 6: you pull those records, once you see if calls were made,

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Speaker 6: once you pull the video, once you talk to the

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Speaker 6: bus driver, all of these factors are going to come

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Speaker 6: to light.

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Speaker 2: From what we understand, Sammy's parents tried everything listen.

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Speaker 7: After Sammy Toys's death, Greenfield Central Community Schools denied that

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Speaker 7: any reports of bullying had been made, but Sammy's family

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Speaker 7: says Greenfield Intermediate was well aware of the problem. Sam

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Speaker 7: and Nicole Toysch, who works at the school, called many

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Speaker 7: times to raise concerns.

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Speaker 1: They also received several calls.

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Speaker 7: Teachers reported that Sammy was fearful at school and would

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Speaker 7: hide under his desk and in closets. Several other families

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Speaker 7: have come forward with reports of bullying, one mom claiming

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Speaker 7: she found her eleven year old son's detailed plans to

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Speaker 7: end his life due to the torment joining me.

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Speaker 2: In addition to Sammy's father, Sam toys is his brother Tyler. Tyler,

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Speaker 2: I can't even imagine what you're going through. To think

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Speaker 2: of your little brother hiding under a desk and in

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Speaker 2: closets at school to escape bullies.

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Speaker 8: It is not something I ever imagined to happen or

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Speaker 8: imagine was happening. You know, I knew slightly about what

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Speaker 8: was happening from my parents, my mom and her husband,

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Speaker 8: but didn't really know the full extent until after.

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Speaker 5: The happened.

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Speaker 8: In it, it's just been I can't even describe what

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Speaker 8: it's been like, you know, since everything has happened, it's

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Speaker 8: really hard on us all, and it's especially hard to

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Speaker 8: see your family hurting over this as well as having

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Speaker 8: that same pain and that same grief.

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Speaker 2: Now, it's curious a lot of people don't understand it.

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Speaker 2: I do understand it, having dealt with so many crime victims.

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Speaker 2: Actually I don't understand it, but I accept it. I

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Speaker 2: accept it. This is true that a victim can be

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Speaker 2: suffering so much, but they don't tell mom and dad.

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Speaker 2: They don't talk about it as much at home. They

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Speaker 2: try to just suck it up and keep going. Did

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Speaker 2: Sammy ever let on what was happening at school? I mean,

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Speaker 2: this little boy's hiding under desks at school. What teacher

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Speaker 2: didn't see that and fix it? He's hiding in closets

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Speaker 2: at school and nobody's doing anything to protect him.

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Speaker 1: Tyler.

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Speaker 8: I know he had spoken, you know, quite often with

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Speaker 8: my mom and her husband about that when I spoke,

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Speaker 8: and that's where I'm getting my information from them.

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Speaker 5: So as a big brother.

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Speaker 8: You know, you want to give him that support and

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Speaker 8: give him that room to talk. But I think for me,

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Speaker 8: you know, we stood talk every day almost at least

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Speaker 8: text or you know, he'd call me in video chat,

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Speaker 8: and it was more so I think just an escape

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Speaker 8: for him to just kind of not have to think

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Speaker 8: about it. And you know, I was trying to make

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Speaker 8: him laugh and we'd have a lot of fun. And

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Speaker 8: I still keep looking at my phone hoping he's going

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Speaker 8: to call.

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Speaker 2: He's just absolutely gorgeous, this boy. I don't understand why

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Speaker 2: this happened. The relentless bullying, the mocking of this little boy.

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Speaker 1: Until he takes his own life.

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Speaker 2: Dad rushes back from getting supplies to make pancakes, runs

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Speaker 2: up the steps little Sammy, still warm to the touch,

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Speaker 2: He tries everything.

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Speaker 1: Sammy is gone.

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Speaker 2: Instead of preparing to celebrate the summer, they had to

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Speaker 2: have a funeral for their ten.

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Speaker 1: Year old little boy. I don't understand it.

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Speaker 2: At this hour, we are learning that an investigation is

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Speaker 2: taking place. Will Sammy Tysh's bullies actually face criminal charges

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Speaker 2: as they should.

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Speaker 1: He wasn't fighting back.

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Speaker 2: He was beaten with his own iPad on the school bus.

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Speaker 2: And it went on and on and on. Sammy's dad

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Speaker 2: sam with us, mister toys. Did you have any idea?

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Speaker 2: Did any t shirt reach out and say, Sammy's hiding

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Speaker 2: under the desk at school.

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Speaker 1: He's hiding. I'm going to try to help you.

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Speaker 2: Did anybody do anything They always pampered.

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Speaker 4: They always said, yes, we're taking care of this, this

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Speaker 4: will stop happening.

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Speaker 5: It isn't going to happen again. You know, they didn't

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Speaker 5: do anything.

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Speaker 2: You know how many other parents are out there that

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Speaker 2: dread sending their children to school.

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Speaker 5: Absolutely, my son had.

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Speaker 1: A bully, my daughter had a girl bully.

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Speaker 2: And I would just die in the mornings when I

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Speaker 2: would drop them off. I would tell them everything you're

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Speaker 2: supposed to know about bullies.

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Speaker 1: I follow the book, I listened to Stacy Honowitz, I

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Speaker 1: did it all.

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Speaker 2: The bullies didn't stop until finally, guess what. The bully

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Speaker 2: punched my son in the stomach. And I had a

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Speaker 2: march on a school and do you know how many

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Speaker 2: other parents showed up that the same bully had choked,

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Speaker 2: handled cursed at their children. There were so many they

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Speaker 2: couldn't even fit in the conference room.

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Speaker 1: I had no idea what was happening.

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Speaker 2: And my son begged me, don't say anything, mom for

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Speaker 2: years until finally going into year three and he got

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Speaker 2: pushed in the stomach.

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Speaker 1: All hgwl Brook loose.

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Speaker 2: I can tell you that what would Sammy say when

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Speaker 2: he would come home, mister toysh I don't.

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Speaker 5: Know what to do about it. I don't want to

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Speaker 5: be in trouble.

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Speaker 4: I don't want to, you know, because I had went

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Speaker 4: from telling him turn the other cheek, which was, you

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Speaker 4: know that how we teach these kids, we don't teach

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Speaker 4: them to hate people, to telling him.

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Speaker 5: You know, you're going to have to do something.

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Speaker 4: And his thing was, you know, because he was a

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Speaker 4: good student, so he didn't want to be in trouble

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Speaker 4: at school, and he was getting in.

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Speaker 5: Trouble at school for that, you know, they were.

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Speaker 4: Actually forming him into a behavior case, you know.

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Speaker 5: And the more I look back on it now, it would.

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Speaker 4: Always redirect onto how well, you know, you need to

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Speaker 4: hold Sammy accountable for his actions, and I'm like, man,

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Speaker 4: I'm not holding him accountable for being picked on.

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Speaker 5: I'm gonna come this is his safe place.

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Speaker 4: This is where he knows that he can be loved

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Speaker 4: and secured and nothing's gonna happen to him here.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think the school bus video shows at all

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Speaker 2: the fact that he was not the aggressor at all.

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Speaker 1: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

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Speaker 2: Lauren Conlin, investigative journalists joining us who has been on

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Speaker 2: the case from the beginning.

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Speaker 1: Lauren thank you for being with us.

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Speaker 2: What can you tell me about reports that are happening

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Speaker 2: as of right now that there is a criminal investigation

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Speaker 2: going on. And another thing, FYI needs flash. Corporations like

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Speaker 2: schools can be criminally held responsible. It's hard to do,

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Speaker 2: It's very hard to do, but it can be done.

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Speaker 1: Oh yes it can. And if they keep putting it out.

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Speaker 2: There that Sammy's dad or mom never warned them, they're

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Speaker 2: looking at a big fat lawsuit for defamation suggesting that

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Speaker 2: the Toyes are lying, because I will stake my life

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Speaker 2: on it. The Toyses are not lying. They did contact

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Speaker 2: the school. What do you know about these alleged charges.

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Speaker 9: Well, I'm sorry, my eyes are watering. I'm just so

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00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,919
Speaker 9: incredibly sorry here. But I do want to point out, unfortunately,

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Speaker 9: year last March, about three hours away in Covington, Indiana,

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Speaker 9: another young boy, a thirteen year old, also died by

442
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:10,119
Speaker 9: suicide because of bullying.

443
00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,560
Speaker 10: He actually made a video naming his bullies.

444
00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:16,320
Speaker 9: And at this point the Indiana General Assemblies sprang into

445
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:18,399
Speaker 9: action and they actually.

446
00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:19,480
Speaker 1: Were able to pass a bill.

447
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,399
Speaker 9: This is House Bill fourteen eighty three in regards to

448
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,639
Speaker 9: bullying and so what this bill states and this is

449
00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:31,080
Speaker 9: a law is that if bullying report is made to

450
00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:35,040
Speaker 9: the school, each set of parents, the child being bullied

451
00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:39,119
Speaker 9: and the alleged perpetrator, they have to be notified within

452
00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:43,040
Speaker 9: five days and then action items need to be set.

453
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,760
Speaker 9: There needs to be action items on the table for

454
00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:47,040
Speaker 9: both families.

455
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:47,199
Speaker 1: To agree to.

456
00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,639
Speaker 9: And at one point it cable for this law for

457
00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,840
Speaker 9: the children to actually change schools. So I believe that

458
00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,520
Speaker 9: this is what's happening right now. There is an investigation.

459
00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,560
Speaker 9: They are possibly possibly looking into phone calls, emails, and

460
00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:06,560
Speaker 9: I believe that the school may end up being in

461
00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:07,719
Speaker 9: deep trouble.

462
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:12,480
Speaker 2: Joining you right now in addition to Sammy's father joining us,

463
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 2: Sam toysh who is just living through a hell, won't

464
00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,080
Speaker 2: you help us speak out?

465
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,800
Speaker 1: Won't you help us speak out.

466
00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:29,360
Speaker 2: Against bullying, against what's happening to our children at school?

467
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:35,320
Speaker 2: Regarding this case Greenfield Pd three one seven four seven

468
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:40,120
Speaker 2: seven four four one zero repeat three one seven four

469
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 2: seven seven.

470
00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:43,320
Speaker 1: Four four one zero.

471
00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:47,520
Speaker 2: Joining me right now is in addition to Sammy's dad,

472
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:52,320
Speaker 2: McKenna's father is joining us along with Sammy's brother Tyler

473
00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:53,680
Speaker 2: Hunter Brown.

474
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:55,560
Speaker 1: Thank you so much.

475
00:28:55,440 --> 00:29:00,320
Speaker 2: For being with us in any words of wisdom you

476
00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:01,760
Speaker 2: have for Sammy's dad.

477
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:04,840
Speaker 1: We're all ears.

478
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:10,680
Speaker 2: You did everything right, you and your wife everything right,

479
00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:12,120
Speaker 2: but then a.

480
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,840
Speaker 1: Parent's worst nightmare comes true.

481
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:21,280
Speaker 2: Mister Brown, I'm thinking about ten year old Sammy who

482
00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:25,720
Speaker 2: was seemingly defenseless. Well, he was defenseless against a gang

483
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:31,680
Speaker 2: of bullies. McKenna seemed as if she had everything the

484
00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:35,880
Speaker 2: world at the tip of her fingers, just beautiful, smart,

485
00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:42,120
Speaker 2: the star athlete. But even McKenna became prey to bullies.

486
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:47,920
Speaker 11: McKenna's bullying happened really quickly and started basically on a Wednesday,

487
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:50,760
Speaker 11: and she took her own life Sunday morning.

488
00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,160
Speaker 10: It happened very fast for us. We didn't have time.

489
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,520
Speaker 11: To really get in front of it, or just basically,

490
00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,760
Speaker 11: my wife found out the day and a half before

491
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:04,680
Speaker 11: I found out the day after, you know, the social

492
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:08,719
Speaker 11: media aspect of it. And it happened days before she

493
00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 11: was supposed to start her senior year. She'd had an

494
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:16,200
Speaker 11: episode of bullying her freshman year, and nobody knew better

495
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,440
Speaker 11: than mkenna you could outrun social media or the Internet.

496
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,400
Speaker 11: And I think you know, just that dread of her

497
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,280
Speaker 11: senior year starting over the way that her freshman year

498
00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:26,680
Speaker 11: began was too.

499
00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:30,720
Speaker 1: Much for her too. Mister Brown joining us, Dada, McKennon.

500
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:36,760
Speaker 2: Brown, What were those days and nights like immediately after

501
00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:38,240
Speaker 2: McKenna's suicide?

502
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:39,280
Speaker 1: How did you get through?

503
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:43,240
Speaker 11: You know, it's uh I grew up in a different era.

504
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:45,960
Speaker 10: That kind of stuff was just kept very quiet.

505
00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:48,880
Speaker 11: You didn't really talk about it, You didn't discuss it.

506
00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:50,880
Speaker 10: It happened, but it wasn't really in the paper.

507
00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:52,680
Speaker 11: It might have been just a little blurb that was

508
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,719
Speaker 11: on page nine or whatever. And we agreed that, you know,

509
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,920
Speaker 11: Cheryl and I got together and we talked and we

510
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,080
Speaker 11: said that we would focus on you know, McKenna had

511
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,280
Speaker 11: a special need sister, and she has a brother who

512
00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:08,120
Speaker 11: currently plays hockey and NCAA D three up in New Hampshire,

513
00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:09,760
Speaker 11: and we agreed that we would.

514
00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:14,200
Speaker 10: Focus on those two, you know, not really do basically what.

515
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:16,440
Speaker 11: I'm doing now that you know, we would focus on

516
00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,840
Speaker 11: our family and what we had left and just try

517
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,200
Speaker 11: and push through it. And then very quickly when we

518
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:23,400
Speaker 11: found out what had happened to McKenna, because we didn't

519
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,000
Speaker 11: realize until some friends that had received the text or

520
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:29,880
Speaker 11: phone calls or saw Instagram or TikTok came forward what

521
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,680
Speaker 11: had really happened, and very quickly we realized that you know,

522
00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,520
Speaker 11: this couldn't be kept silent, that we needed to get

523
00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,800
Speaker 11: out in front of it. And you know, some media

524
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:43,000
Speaker 11: called the Lighting High School Tampa Bay Lightning run the

525
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,880
Speaker 11: high school, local high school hockey league, they call, they

526
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:47,760
Speaker 11: had concerns.

527
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,320
Speaker 10: So we got out in front of it really quickly.

528
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:54,160
Speaker 11: And you know, I mean that would be my advice

529
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:58,480
Speaker 11: to Sammy, and you know, Sam would be that, you know, there's.

530
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,280
Speaker 10: A large group of us. We're no longer silent.

531
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:06,520
Speaker 11: We've become vocal, We've become active, and unfortunately the group

532
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:07,560
Speaker 11: just continues to grow.

533
00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,080
Speaker 2: We're charges ever brought against mcanna's bullies.

534
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,800
Speaker 11: No so Interestingly enough, I dug through did a little

535
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,200
Speaker 11: bit of research in that and Indiana, similar political environment

536
00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:21,840
Speaker 11: and men to that. In Florida, they have a similar

537
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 11: bullying law. The bullying law is really tied up in

538
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:29,040
Speaker 11: the education Code and what it does is that's parameters

539
00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,000
Speaker 11: for how the school system has to react, some steps

540
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,320
Speaker 11: they have to take, defines bullying, that sort of stuff.

541
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,400
Speaker 11: Bullying really in Florida and as far as.

542
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,200
Speaker 10: I can tell, in Indiana, as the Panella's.

543
00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:44,200
Speaker 11: County Sheriff's office, let me know is not a crime.

544
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:49,600
Speaker 11: Charges were never brought. Law enforcement is very reluctant to

545
00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:54,280
Speaker 11: get active in this space. You know, there's several names

546
00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:58,560
Speaker 11: that come to mind, Rebecca Sedgewick, I forget the girl's

547
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:01,800
Speaker 11: name in the Panhandle. Charge were brought in both those cases.

548
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:05,200
Speaker 11: They were very much more egregious and longer runner.

549
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:09,480
Speaker 2: Following up on what Hunter just told us, mckenn's dad

550
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:16,280
Speaker 2: Karen started joining me renounced psychologist, TV radio trauma expert Karen.

551
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:20,120
Speaker 2: That just leaves the parents with even more feelings of

552
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 2: helplessness because there are laws on the book to investigate

553
00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:32,280
Speaker 2: criminally and charge bullies, but it won't happen. It's not happening. Karen,

554
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,160
Speaker 2: please help Sammy's dad.

555
00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:40,760
Speaker 12: I am so sorry, and your feelings of hopelessness and helplessness,

556
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,400
Speaker 12: think of that. That's exactly what was happening to Sammy.

557
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,920
Speaker 12: That Sammy felt like he had nowhere to turn, and

558
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,520
Speaker 12: neither did your daughter, the other daughter who killed herself.

559
00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,720
Speaker 12: And I want you to know, Nancy, that people children

560
00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,240
Speaker 12: who are cyber bullied are four times more.

561
00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,240
Speaker 13: Likely to commit suicide.

562
00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:05,920
Speaker 12: That it is that ramp into an awful and a

563
00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:10,200
Speaker 12: problem that's happening right now. And Leez, do not go

564
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,799
Speaker 12: over what you should have done, could have done. I

565
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,120
Speaker 12: know you do it, Nancy, it's a normal action.

566
00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:21,480
Speaker 13: But there is absolutely nothing that you could have done.

567
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:22,960
Speaker 1: It's the school.

568
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,800
Speaker 13: Those students should have been taken care.

569
00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:26,400
Speaker 10: Of, removed.

570
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:31,000
Speaker 12: He was there to be helped and protected, not to

571
00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:33,880
Speaker 12: feel like he had a hide in the closet. Think

572
00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:39,680
Speaker 12: about that situation. It's so dreadful, unnecessary, not.

573
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:45,640
Speaker 2: Okay, mister Toys, Tyler Hunter and all of our guests.

574
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,600
Speaker 1: There just doesn't seem a way through this.

575
00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:55,640
Speaker 2: But there is a way, mister toysh tell me your

576
00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:57,120
Speaker 2: message tonight.

577
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,160
Speaker 4: Well, I've said before, I don't want to turn the

578
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:06,800
Speaker 4: TV on and see more crying parents. It's wrong that

579
00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:09,200
Speaker 4: we do need a place to turn and we need

580
00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:10,360
Speaker 4: somebody to fight.

581
00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:13,839
Speaker 5: Someone that I don't even know.

582
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:19,239
Speaker 4: Started a petition on change dot org for Sammy's Bullying Act.

583
00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:22,000
Speaker 4: This is something that needs to be done at the

584
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,839
Speaker 4: federal level to make sure the states are held accountable

585
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:30,120
Speaker 4: for the laws that they do put into place. Something

586
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:35,760
Speaker 4: needs to be done at that level to ensure a change.

587
00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:38,120
Speaker 4: You know, all these kids, all of them feel like

588
00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,200
Speaker 4: they have no way to fight back. They're going to

589
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,839
Speaker 4: be in trouble if they do something, you know. I mean,

590
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,480
Speaker 4: you have to be able to protect yourself. And if

591
00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:48,560
Speaker 4: you feel like there is no way you're going to

592
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:50,040
Speaker 4: protect yourself.

593
00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:53,920
Speaker 5: This is I guess I you know, And like, I.

594
00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:59,640
Speaker 4: Don't even know how Sammy would know anything about any

595
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:03,920
Speaker 4: of this, you know, it just he was a beautiful

596
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:05,720
Speaker 4: child who loved being a kid.

597
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:12,280
Speaker 5: He was he was a kid. I don't I don't

598
00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:13,799
Speaker 5: know how, you know.

599
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:17,360
Speaker 4: That's that's one thing that I'm hoping to gain with

600
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:21,040
Speaker 4: Hunter and the other parents that this has happened to

601
00:36:21,239 --> 00:36:23,520
Speaker 4: you know, how can we actually stop this?

602
00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:26,759
Speaker 5: There's no hope.

603
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:31,359
Speaker 4: It's just like it's just like to me, them releasing

604
00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,560
Speaker 4: their statement. You know, they never came here and told

605
00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:37,920
Speaker 4: us how sorry they are. They never reached out to

606
00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:41,759
Speaker 4: say I feel your pain, were here for you. It

607
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:45,000
Speaker 4: was just instantly, well, we didn't know anything about it.

608
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,839
Speaker 4: It's obviously got to be the parent's fault. Something at home.

609
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,920
Speaker 4: You know, they never reported this to us, and then

610
00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,120
Speaker 4: they're just allowed to lie because there's no documentation.

611
00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,200
Speaker 2: You know, if you called them from your cell phone

612
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:05,799
Speaker 2: as even once there's documentation and as far as charges go,

613
00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:10,200
Speaker 2: I want to see that school bus video because I

614
00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:14,239
Speaker 2: guarantee you Sammy was not the aggressor. That was a

615
00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:19,360
Speaker 2: culmination of years of bullying. And you mentioned at the

616
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:23,160
Speaker 2: get go where your son had gotten a text or

617
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,280
Speaker 2: a message of some sort saying just wait till Monday,

618
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:30,480
Speaker 2: you're gonna get it. There are ways to prove this case.

619
00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:34,480
Speaker 2: I am not going to rest until there are charges

620
00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:40,960
Speaker 2: against these bullies because until charges are brought, bullies and

621
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,200
Speaker 2: the pain and misery they call it cause it's all

622
00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:48,160
Speaker 2: going to be swept under the rug, and children like

623
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:53,600
Speaker 2: Sammy will continue to suffer. Some people, people that are

624
00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:58,600
Speaker 2: maybe more cunning or evil than the rest of us,

625
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:04,040
Speaker 2: they won't stop until we make them stop, until we

626
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:09,160
Speaker 2: make their parents acknowledge what their children are doing at school.

627
00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:15,040
Speaker 2: Sammy is gone and his family has a life sentence

628
00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:20,600
Speaker 2: of living without him. But by God, we can make

629
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:25,720
Speaker 2: a difference, and we will make a difference. Please join us,

630
00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:30,840
Speaker 2: and if you or your child is suffering and having

631
00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:37,960
Speaker 2: thoughts of suicide, please dial or chat toll free nine

632
00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:44,200
Speaker 2: eight eight, a universal suicide hotline when you don't know

633
00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:50,879
Speaker 2: what else to do, And please visit Sammy's Bullying Act

634
00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:53,799
Speaker 2: on change dot.

635
00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:55,480
Speaker 1: Org to make a difference.

636
00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:00,879
Speaker 2: For now, we can pray for Sammy's family, we can

637
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:07,520
Speaker 2: pray for McKenna's family, and also we can fight. Thank

638
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,520
Speaker 2: you for being with us tonight. Our prayers go on.

639
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:12,120
Speaker 2: Good night, friend,