TRIGGER WARNING: The following story may be distressing to some readers as it tackles topics such as suicide, harassment, and abuse.
A 14-year-old girl named Jaylee Chillson was reported to have shot herself while a police officer tried to persuade her to return home to her family.
She was last seen alive Saturday (September 23) after she ran away from a party in Aurora, Kansas, ABC's Wichita affiliate KAKE reported. Police from the Cloud County Sheriff's Office said a local resident called for assistance after the girl went missing.
It was alleged that Chillson told her parents she was going out with the family dog but later realized she went much farther from home to a party about 40 minutes away and believed she went there with a 20-year-old male.
Police added that a deputy located Chillson and attempted to convince her to return home, but she pulled a gun and shot herself in front of the deputy. The deputy, an off-duty firefighter, and the girl's father attempted lifesaving measures but were later pronounced dead at the scene shortly after midnight Sunday (September 24).
In the aftermath of the incident, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to help Chillson's family.
On the other hand, Kansas lawmakers said firearms were not to blame for increasing youth suicide rates.
Two Years of Living Hell
According to her obituary, Jaylee Chillson was born in 2009 in Manhattan, Kansas, as the eldest child and only daughter of her parents, Jeb and Stacie.
She was described as someone who enjoyed spending time outside in the woods, as well as in sports.
However, Chillson's family said she was the subject of physical, verbal, and mental abuse in the last few years of her life.
Jeb Chillson, the girl's father, told The Messenger that his daughter's hellish experience began two years ago in 7th grade when some Clay Center Community Middle School students began to bully her through teasing, rude acts, and even death threats.
Chillson's parents attempted to settle their concerns with several school officials, but nothing was done, according to the father.
Transferring her to another school did not help Jaylee either, as she was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted, and nothing was done to prevent students from bullying her.
The bullying did not stop even if Chillson's parents pulled her out of school altogether to finish eighth grade with homeschooling.
Chillson's Father: Bullying a 'Terrible Pandemic' in Cloud County
Despite professional help from a therapist, nobody knew Jaylee Chillson would take her own life, her father added.
Since her death, many parents have reached out to the Chillsons to tell them that bullying was a "terrible pandemic" in their living area.
Meanwhile, Stacie Chillson took to social media and lashed out her anger at those who contributed to her daughter's death.
"I'm angry with those that hurt my baby," she wrote on Facebook. "I'm furious with those I know hurt her and will talk about her now like they didn't play a part in crushing her."
Several reporters contacted Clay County school officials for comment but have since denied the allegations made by Jaylee Chillson's father.
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