Inquiry on girl’s suicide
Police are probing death of Grants girl, including messages sent to her on social media
Grants police are looking into the death of a girl, 11, after her family says she was bullied at her elementary school.
GRANTS — Authorities are investigating the death of an 11-year-old Grants girl who killed herself after experiencing what family and friends said was school bullying.
Loved ones of Delia Watson, who died Feb. 1, gathered Wednesday night for a vigil. Many said they believe the suicide was preventable.
Delia had reported the bullying to officials at Mount Taylor Elementary School in Grants, said the girl’s friend, Malaya Martinez.
“Me and Delia reached out to many staff members of our school many different times about the bullying, but Delia’s voice was never heard,” Malaya said. A spokesman for the Grants Police Department confirmed the agency is investigating the girl’s death, including social media messages that were sent to her, but did not elaborate on details of the ongoing investigation.
Grants Cibola County Schools released a statement Tuesday addressing Delia’s “unexpected death.”
The statement said community health representatives and school counselors are available to anyone “who wishes to talk about the student’s death.”
Delia’s death is at least the second suicide in recent months of an elementary school girl with ties to New Mexico.
In December, 11-year-old Anjelita Estrada, who had moved to Connecticut from Farmington with her mother and stepfather before the start of the school year, took her own life after reporting that students at her new school bullied her because she was Hispanic.
Her father, Anthony Estrada of Farmington, said in a post on a GoFundMe page that his daughter’s body had been brought back to New Mexico for burial. He made a plea for others to share his family’s story. “Get our message out there and maybe we can save another child’s life,” Estrada said in the post. “Just maybe we can keep another family from having to suffer this pain.”
Malaya said she plans to speak up for her best friend and will continue talking until someone listens. “I’m Delia’s voice and I’m reaching out to the community for help,” Mayala said. “Big, small, tall, has no hair, has hair, has a lot of hair, doesn’t matter. They are still human beings. It’s not right.”