May 20, 2024 • 39 mins
Sammy Teusch, 10, is the baby of the Teusch family. Now in fourth grade, Sammy loves playing outside with his brothers, his beloved dog Daisy, and best friend, Judah, who lives next door. Wherever Sammy goes, people comment on his big smile that pushes his glasses up his cheeks.
While friends and family know Sammy Teusch as smart, funny, charming, and empathetic, several children at school focus on Sammy’s physical appearance. They pick on Sammy for his glasses and crooked teeth in elementary school and the bullying only intensifies in intermediate school.
On the bus home, Sammy is attacked and beaten with his own iPad. The bullies hit Sammy over the head with the tablet several times, and the boy arrives home with broken glasses, a black eye, and scratches on his face and neck. Days later, Sammy is cornered in the bathroom and beaten up again—with more threats of violence when he returns to school on Monday.
Parents, Sam and Nichole Teusch call Greenfield-Central 20 times to raise concerns about Sammy’s wellbeing and physical safety. They also receive several calls. Teachers report that Sammy is fearful at school and hides under his desk and in closets. The school says they are working to resolve the bullying, but nothing gets better for Sammy.
On a quiet Sunday morning, Sam Teusch cooks a pancake and egg breakfast for his wife and four children. Teusch goes to wake Sammy up to eat, but he instead finds the little boy unresponsive and not breathing. Sam Teusch calls for help and performs CPR on Sammy, but Sammy Teusch dies. The 10-year-old took his own life.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
- Tyler Mills - Sammy's brother
- Sam Teusch - Sammy's Dad
- Hunter Brown - Dad of McKenna Brown
- Stacey Honowitz – Assistant State Attorney (Florida), Sex Crimes & Child Abuse Unit; Author: “My Private Parts are Private.” “Genius with a Penis – Don’t Touch!” and “The Bully at School is Really Uncool;” Instagram: @staceybhonowitz
- Caryn L. Stark – Psychologist, Renowned TV and Radio Trauma Expert and Consultant; Instagram: carynpsych/FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice
- Lauren Conlin – Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of “Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren/ Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin/YouTube- @LaurenConlin4
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Breaking news tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Did a precious, beautiful little boy just ten years old
take his own life? Kill himself after horribly cruel school
bullies relentlessly mock his glasses and his teeth? At this hour,
(00:28):
criminal charges against those school bullies are being investigated.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
So why did the school do nothing?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I want answers now, Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This
is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Hundreds of mourners fill the pews at Brandywine Church to
remember Sammy Toysch. The Iron Sharpen's Iron Motorcycle Ministry volunteers
to escort Toysh's casket to the cemetery. More than one
hundred bikers had the procession. Community members and classmates cry
each other and leave flowers on Sammy's casket at the burial.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
When I look at Sammy, I think of Opie, Andy
and Mayburry. Look at this little angel, completely scrubbed in sunshine.
You're just hearing our friends at Crime on Line describing
a motorcade for his funeral so full of life and joy.
(01:30):
You can just see the energy. He's gone. He's gone
because of school bullies. Joining me an all star panel
to understand what is happening and frankly, why the school
did nothing. Of course they claim that's not true, but
(01:51):
I think that it is joining me right now. Special
guest is Sammy's father, sam Toys.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Thank you for having me. Nancy, I really appreciate you
letting us use your platform to get this word out.
There's nothing we're going to do to bring Sammy back
to the voice.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Mister Toyce, I've said this before. As a crime victim myself,
after my fiance was smartered, I thought I knew it
all about grief and mourning and trying to go through
hell and come out on the other end to do
something positive with my life.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
You know what, I knew nothing.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Nothing, zero, Because now that I have my two children,
I don't think there's anything that could compare to losing
your child.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
What happened that.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Day, I really wish I knew.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
I've replayed it in my head a million times.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
You know. We got up Sunday morning.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
And I was making eggs for the kids, and Sammy
and Xander wanted pancakes, and I didn't have enough left
from Saturday morning, so I ran over to Dollar General
to get pancakes, and I mean I was probably gone five, six,
(03:23):
seven minutes and I got back and I and as
soon as I got back, opened up the package.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
I'm dumping it in. Nikki had told Xander to go get.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
To go get Sammy because it was his grandma's birthday and.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
She wanted to call him. And I have all the
kids say happy birthday.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
And then I heard Xander's screen.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
And I ran upstairs and.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Found Sammy and I started CPR and I held him
in my arms and I opened his eyes and I
breathed it to him, and I was on the phone
with nine one one instantly before I even made it
to his bedroom.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
I was on the phone with nine one one couple.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I don't know how long after that, somebody busted by
me in my house upstairs and they said, I'm I'm
a fireman, I'm your neighbor. I heard this on the scanner,
and he started working on Sammy as the ambulances started
pulling up and.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
The fireman and police.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
And you know, it wasn't it wasn't a special morning.
There was nothing going on. You know, I had just
seen him. He was laying in bed with Nikki. He was,
he was snuggling with his mom.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
I keep a million times if I would have just
got home that Bama got your pancakes, you know, coma.
It's all been if I if, I I wish I
I could have, I should have. I didn't, you know,
I mean, it's been a million different things and it
hasn't stopped.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
I don't. I don't know. And then, you know, come
to find out later he had.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
We had his phone, so so we didn't have to
worry about anything. You know, there was another another kid's
phone that that this kid was calling and FaceTime and
then kept saying stuff to saying about you know, waiting
until you get to school on Monday.
Speaker 5 (05:56):
You know, you're you're really going to get it.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
And I, you know, I didn't know that until after
Xander had actually taken Sammy out of the room and downstairs.
So they sat there and played roblocks and then fell
asleep on the couch downstairs.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
And I wish I had an answer for you. I
wish I had an answer for me.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
You know, I do the same thing even now. I reply.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Everything that happened leading up to Keith Smarter that the
weekend before the morning up that day.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
The day before, we had soccer games in the morning,
the twins at soccer game, and then we went into
Indianapolis and there's a place called.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Pins down there that they got a bunch of games in.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
So we went there and played ping pong and ring
toss and you know, all kinds of other stuff pinballs,
and they had a great day, you know. And then
we got home and cooked on the grill. It was
real late. It was like nine thirty ten o'clock. Can
we barbecue hot dogs on the grill and then roasted
marshmallows and Sammy roasted marshmallows for Nicky, you know. I
(07:13):
you know, nothing extraordinary stands out that it was, you know,
because that's what we do all the time, where we
always do family.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I think that that is why everybody, including me and
I don't believe I'm afraid of anything except something happening
to my twins. And that is why what you're saying
is so scary. It's scary because everything no it is
(07:40):
we thought was fine.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
But everything's fine. At home. You're relling out.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You're spending so much time with your children, You and Nicole,
they're your universe.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
But what happens at school? And when I found out,
mister Toys.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
That people school bullies were making fun of Sammy's glasses
and his teeth. I don't think my brother will mind
me telling this, but when he was little, all the
way until he got his braces off, which was into
high school, everyone not us, but I didn't know this
(08:23):
till years later, called him horse face Grace.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
He was a little boy, little little boy, he had.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
But teeth, and my parents had to take out a
payment plan.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Remember the coupons that you'd filled out the coupon to.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Pay the loan and send in the check. They did
that for my brother to you know, get his teeth strayed.
And they had nothing, no money, but they did the
relentless bully. I never knew about it. They must have
have known, mister toych I mean, who are these children?
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Well, you know, the biggest thing is like as you
can imagine, I mean, you know that when you put
something on social media or anything else, that there's you
got to expect crap from both sides. So while the
outpouring of love and support has been great, I have
also gotten horrible, horrible messages about how this is our fault.
(09:28):
We're doing this for monetary gain.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Who is wrong with people?
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Now? Do you see what's happening, mister toysh They are
trying to do to you and Nicole?
Speaker 1 (09:50):
What was done to Sammy? Bullying, trolling, hateful one.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
The one we got yesterday said well, the kid didn't
need braces. You should have tooken him and got braces.
And the you know, the fact of the matter is,
and he still has baby teeth.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You can't get braces that early.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
You can't get braces. And like I told Sammy, you
got adult teeth coming in your little head. And here
pretty soon your head's going to equal out and everything's
everything's going to be in place where it needs to be.
You're beautiful, you know, there's nothing wrong with you.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
You know. Even after he got the glasses and.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
It was it was wonderful that day because Sammy loved
the outdoors. And when he first put those on and
when we went outside, he didn't know that the world
was supposed to look the way it was, you know,
and the wayflowers looked and grass and animals running by
and everything.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
He was fascinated.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
It was like he was seeing it for the first time,
and he absolutely loved him. And then that next day,
getting off the bus, you know, I was standing at
the end of my driveway and I watched him get
off the bus two doors down, and I could see
as soon as he got off he had those glasses
clenched in his fist and he was crying and and
he said, I'm ever wearing these stupid things again. There,
(11:20):
you know, it just it just gave him added ammunition.
I called the school, you know, and I'm mister toys.
We you know, we're handling this and and we're making
sure that stuff like this stops.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
And I took for granted that they were, you know up.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
I thought they were up until I seen the thing
from the school corporation that said there have been no reports.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Of bullying being made. And then it's like, wait.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
A minute, Wait a minute, you're you're calling me a
liar that I didn't sit here right in this chair
that I'm sitting in right now and hold Sammy. I
don't know how many times while he cried, trying to
explain to him, you know, the unfortunate part of being
a human being. You know, there's people out there who
(12:09):
do not care what you've got going on at home,
and do not care what anything else they're They're here
to persecute, and they're here to punish, and a lot
of times it's become it's because they come from an awful,
terrible place. And and that's that's a discussion that I
had with Sammy about how you don't know where these
kids come from.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
You don't know the awfulness that they're facing at home.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Most most you know, not most, I don't want to
say most, but a lot of kids don't have mommy.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
And daddy to come home to and cry on.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
And he thought about things like that, and then he
also thought about the fact that if he fights back,
he's the aggressor.
Speaker 5 (12:51):
He's got to be. He's got to be scared of
getting in trouble at school for defending himself.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Where As Americans we should no matter what your age is,
you should be able to defend yourself without fear or repercussion.
It's terrible, and it's the same with the friends. You know,
his friends couldn't help him.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I hear you saying that these bullies may may come
from a bad place, as you put it, maybe not
the best home, but that is no excuse for what
they did, and there is no excuse.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
I feel terrible for all of them.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
There is no excuse for the school now saying they
would never warned about the bullies.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
I know for a fact you told them and you
asked for help.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
They are claiming they knew nothing, and they keep talking
about all their grief and they're out.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Pouring of grief.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Now.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
They are saying that they have worked with you guys
over the lane last months.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
But did that ever happen?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
They've talked to us several times. I mean, that's what
he's talking about, you know. I mean they're they're just
pushing the buck.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Did they do anything to help?
Speaker 5 (14:13):
No?
Speaker 4 (14:14):
No, even the time when he got smacked in the
face with his iPad on the bus, you know, he
got kicked off the bus for that. They said at
that point in time police would be contacted.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
This is assault. I don't know for sure if that
happened or not. I'm sure that that'll come out in this.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
But you know, the one guy that watched the video
said this is the worst video I've ever seen.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Joining me in Ulstar panel, but special guest Sammy's father
is with us. Sam Toysch. Mister Toysch, you mentioned that
there was a video which was, as you said, horrible.
What was the video on the school bus? Correct?
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Yeah, but I was never allowed to see it. I
still haven't seen it. I don't know at this point
if I want to see it. I mean, if you
know what did it depict? It depicts Sammy getting getting hit,
uh not just hit, attacked.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
They they told me that police we're going to be
contacted about this, that you know, someone will be held.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Accountable for this, and it never happened.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
I do not know.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
That answer is that when Sammy was hit with the iPad. Yes,
what did he look like when he got off of
the bus.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Is that he had a cut by his eyebrow, which
is where his glasses had broke, like right here underneath
his uh earholders or whatever, so that pushed into his face,
knocks his knocked his lens out.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
This was his right eye. So you know, I did.
I do have pictures of that, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
To Stacy Honowitz joining me, Assistant State's Attorney, Child Abuse Unit,
author of the bully at school, really uncool, Stacy, thank
you for being with us, you know, Stacy, After covering
so many cases about bullies where the victim actually the child,
a victim actually commits suicide.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I was so worried.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Do you know, not one time from pre K to
tenth grade as of right now, pre K to tenth grade,
did I ever let the twins ride a bus.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I rode a bus.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Everybody I know rides their children ride the bus because
we think it's safe.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
We're supposed to be safe. It's not.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And the abuse only continued one Sammy got to school Stacy,
and I know the school is saying they did everything right,
be as I don't believe it.
Speaker 6 (17:08):
Well, I mean, I've seen many cases where things have
happened at the school and the school later on goes
on to say we were unaware of it. Now, certainly
they were aware of it, and the schools know that
if somebody calls in about a bullying situation, any kind
of criminal situation, any kind of situation that involves their child,
there are notes that have to be taken, There are
records that have to be kept, There are outside sources
(17:31):
that have to be called, such as the police, and
certainly if the police were contacted with regard to this,
there would have been a statement from dad from the child,
something would have happened. I hate to say, but I
think lots of times when things happened at school, especially
on the school bus, that's really blowed down on the
chain as to being investigated. Where was the bus driver?
(17:52):
Why didn't the bus driver make a statement? I'm telling
you something else, Stacy?
Speaker 2 (17:57):
When this if the school is wrong, and I have
reason to believe they are, when they're saying, well, we
did everything right, all of these defenses. If they intimate
Sammy's mother and father are lying, then they're looking at
a big fat defamation lawsuit.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I think they have a.
Speaker 6 (18:17):
Couple of suits now. If that's the case in defamation,
certainly a failure to protect, there's a failure to protect.
There's a neglect. There are several things that go along
with situations like this. They are rare, but certainly once
you pull those records, once you see if calls were made,
once you pull the video, once you talk to the
bus driver, all of these factors are going to come
(18:40):
to light.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
From what we understand, Sammy's parents tried everything listen.
Speaker 7 (18:45):
After Sammy Toys's death, Greenfield Central Community Schools denied that
any reports of bullying had been made, but Sammy's family
says Greenfield Intermediate was well aware of the problem. Sam
and Nicole Toysch, who works at the school, called many
times to raise concerns.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
They also received several calls.
Speaker 7 (19:04):
Teachers reported that Sammy was fearful at school and would
hide under his desk and in closets. Several other families
have come forward with reports of bullying, one mom claiming
she found her eleven year old son's detailed plans to
end his life due to the torment joining me.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
In addition to Sammy's father, Sam toys is his brother Tyler. Tyler,
I can't even imagine what you're going through. To think
of your little brother hiding under a desk and in
closets at school to escape bullies.
Speaker 8 (19:39):
It is not something I ever imagined to happen or
imagine was happening. You know, I knew slightly about what
was happening from my parents, my mom and her husband,
but didn't really know the full extent until after.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
The happened.
Speaker 8 (20:00):
In it, it's just been I can't even describe what
it's been like, you know, since everything has happened, it's
really hard on us all, and it's especially hard to
see your family hurting over this as well as having
that same pain and that same grief.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Now, it's curious a lot of people don't understand it.
I do understand it, having dealt with so many crime victims.
Actually I don't understand it, but I accept it. I
accept it. This is true that a victim can be
suffering so much, but they don't tell mom and dad.
They don't talk about it as much at home. They
(20:45):
try to just suck it up and keep going. Did
Sammy ever let on what was happening at school? I mean,
this little boy's hiding under desks at school. What teacher
didn't see that and fix it? He's hiding in closets
at school and nobody's doing anything to protect him.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Tyler.
Speaker 8 (21:07):
I know he had spoken, you know, quite often with
my mom and her husband about that when I spoke,
and that's where I'm getting my information from them.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
So as a big brother.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
You know, you want to give him that support and
give him that room to talk. But I think for me,
you know, we stood talk every day almost at least
text or you know, he'd call me in video chat,
and it was more so I think just an escape
for him to just kind of not have to think
(21:43):
about it. And you know, I was trying to make
him laugh and we'd have a lot of fun. And
I still keep looking at my phone hoping he's going
to call.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
He's just absolutely gorgeous, this boy. I don't understand why
this happened. The relentless bullying, the mocking of this little boy.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Until he takes his own life.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Dad rushes back from getting supplies to make pancakes, runs
up the steps little Sammy, still warm to the touch,
He tries everything.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Sammy is gone.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Instead of preparing to celebrate the summer, they had to
have a funeral for their ten.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Year old little boy. I don't understand it.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
At this hour, we are learning that an investigation is
taking place. Will Sammy Tysh's bullies actually face criminal charges
as they should.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
He wasn't fighting back.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
He was beaten with his own iPad on the school bus.
And it went on and on and on. Sammy's dad
sam with us, mister toys. Did you have any idea?
Did any t shirt reach out and say, Sammy's hiding
under the desk at school.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
He's hiding. I'm going to try to help you.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Did anybody do anything They always pampered.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
They always said, yes, we're taking care of this, this
will stop happening.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
It isn't going to happen again. You know, they didn't
do anything.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
You know how many other parents are out there that
dread sending their children to school.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Absolutely, my son had.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
A bully, my daughter had a girl bully.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
And I would just die in the mornings when I
would drop them off. I would tell them everything you're
supposed to know about bullies.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
I follow the book, I listened to Stacy Honowitz, I
did it all.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
The bullies didn't stop until finally, guess what. The bully
punched my son in the stomach. And I had a
march on a school and do you know how many
other parents showed up that the same bully had choked,
handled cursed at their children. There were so many they
(24:18):
couldn't even fit in the conference room.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I had no idea what was happening.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And my son begged me, don't say anything, mom for
years until finally going into year three and he got
pushed in the stomach.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
All hgwl Brook loose.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I can tell you that what would Sammy say when
he would come home, mister toysh I don't.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Know what to do about it. I don't want to
be in trouble.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
I don't want to, you know, because I had went
from telling him turn the other cheek, which was, you
know that how we teach these kids, we don't teach
them to hate people, to telling him.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
You know, you're going to have to do something.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
And his thing was, you know, because he was a
good student, so he didn't want to be in trouble
at school, and he was getting in.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Trouble at school for that, you know, they were.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Actually forming him into a behavior case, you know.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
And the more I look back on it now, it would.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
Always redirect onto how well, you know, you need to
hold Sammy accountable for his actions, and I'm like, man,
I'm not holding him accountable for being picked on.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
I'm gonna come this is his safe place.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
This is where he knows that he can be loved
and secured and nothing's gonna happen to him here.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Well, I think the school bus video shows at all
the fact that he was not the aggressor at all.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Lauren Conlin, investigative journalists joining us who has been on
the case from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Lauren thank you for being with us.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
What can you tell me about reports that are happening
as of right now that there is a criminal investigation
going on. And another thing, FYI needs flash. Corporations like
schools can be criminally held responsible. It's hard to do,
It's very hard to do, but it can be done.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Oh yes it can. And if they keep putting it out.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
There that Sammy's dad or mom never warned them, they're
looking at a big fat lawsuit for defamation suggesting that
the Toyes are lying, because I will stake my life
on it. The Toyses are not lying. They did contact
the school. What do you know about these alleged charges.
Speaker 9 (26:52):
Well, I'm sorry, my eyes are watering. I'm just so
incredibly sorry here. But I do want to point out, unfortunately,
year last March, about three hours away in Covington, Indiana,
another young boy, a thirteen year old, also died by
suicide because of bullying.
Speaker 10 (27:10):
He actually made a video naming his bullies.
Speaker 9 (27:12):
And at this point the Indiana General Assemblies sprang into
action and they actually.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Were able to pass a bill.
Speaker 9 (27:19):
This is House Bill fourteen eighty three in regards to
bullying and so what this bill states and this is
a law is that if bullying report is made to
the school, each set of parents, the child being bullied
and the alleged perpetrator, they have to be notified within
five days and then action items need to be set.
(27:43):
There needs to be action items on the table for
both families.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
To agree to.
Speaker 9 (27:47):
And at one point it cable for this law for
the children to actually change schools. So I believe that
this is what's happening right now. There is an investigation.
They are possibly possibly looking into phone calls, emails, and
I believe that the school may end up being in
deep trouble.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Joining you right now in addition to Sammy's father joining us,
Sam toysh who is just living through a hell, won't
you help us speak out?
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Won't you help us speak out.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Against bullying, against what's happening to our children at school?
Regarding this case Greenfield Pd three one seven four seven
seven four four one zero repeat three one seven four
seven seven.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Four four one zero.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Joining me right now is in addition to Sammy's dad,
McKenna's father is joining us along with Sammy's brother Tyler
Hunter Brown.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
For being with us in any words of wisdom you
have for Sammy's dad.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
We're all ears.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
You did everything right, you and your wife everything right,
but then a.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Parent's worst nightmare comes true.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Mister Brown, I'm thinking about ten year old Sammy who
was seemingly defenseless. Well, he was defenseless against a gang
of bullies. McKenna seemed as if she had everything the
world at the tip of her fingers, just beautiful, smart,
(29:36):
the star athlete. But even McKenna became prey to bullies.
Speaker 11 (29:42):
McKenna's bullying happened really quickly and started basically on a Wednesday,
and she took her own life Sunday morning.
Speaker 10 (29:51):
It happened very fast for us. We didn't have time.
Speaker 11 (29:53):
To really get in front of it, or just basically,
my wife found out the day and a half before
I found out the day after, you know, the social
media aspect of it. And it happened days before she
was supposed to start her senior year. She'd had an
episode of bullying her freshman year, and nobody knew better
(30:16):
than mkenna you could outrun social media or the Internet.
And I think you know, just that dread of her
senior year starting over the way that her freshman year
began was too.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Much for her too. Mister Brown joining us, Dada, McKennon.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Brown, What were those days and nights like immediately after
McKenna's suicide?
Speaker 1 (30:38):
How did you get through?
Speaker 11 (30:39):
You know, it's uh I grew up in a different era.
Speaker 10 (30:43):
That kind of stuff was just kept very quiet.
Speaker 11 (30:46):
You didn't really talk about it, You didn't discuss it.
Speaker 10 (30:48):
It happened, but it wasn't really in the paper.
Speaker 11 (30:50):
It might have been just a little blurb that was
on page nine or whatever. And we agreed that, you know,
Cheryl and I got together and we talked and we
said that we would focus on you know, McKenna had
a special need sister, and she has a brother who
currently plays hockey and NCAA D three up in New Hampshire,
and we agreed that we would.
Speaker 10 (31:09):
Focus on those two, you know, not really do basically what.
Speaker 11 (31:14):
I'm doing now that you know, we would focus on
our family and what we had left and just try
and push through it. And then very quickly when we
found out what had happened to McKenna, because we didn't
realize until some friends that had received the text or
phone calls or saw Instagram or TikTok came forward what
had really happened, and very quickly we realized that you know,
(31:34):
this couldn't be kept silent, that we needed to get
out in front of it. And you know, some media
called the Lighting High School Tampa Bay Lightning run the
high school, local high school hockey league, they call, they
had concerns.
Speaker 10 (31:48):
So we got out in front of it really quickly.
Speaker 11 (31:51):
And you know, I mean that would be my advice
to Sammy, and you know, Sam would be that, you know, there's.
Speaker 10 (31:58):
A large group of us. We're no longer silent.
Speaker 11 (32:01):
We've become vocal, We've become active, and unfortunately the group
just continues to grow.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
We're charges ever brought against mcanna's bullies.
Speaker 11 (32:11):
No so Interestingly enough, I dug through did a little
bit of research in that and Indiana, similar political environment
and men to that. In Florida, they have a similar
bullying law. The bullying law is really tied up in
the education Code and what it does is that's parameters
for how the school system has to react, some steps
(32:32):
they have to take, defines bullying, that sort of stuff.
Bullying really in Florida and as far as.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
I can tell, in Indiana, as the Panella's.
Speaker 11 (32:40):
County Sheriff's office, let me know is not a crime.
Charges were never brought. Law enforcement is very reluctant to
get active in this space. You know, there's several names
that come to mind, Rebecca Sedgewick, I forget the girl's
name in the Panhandle. Charge were brought in both those cases.
(33:02):
They were very much more egregious and longer runner.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Following up on what Hunter just told us, mckenn's dad
Karen started joining me renounced psychologist, TV radio trauma expert Karen.
That just leaves the parents with even more feelings of
helplessness because there are laws on the book to investigate
(33:25):
criminally and charge bullies, but it won't happen. It's not happening. Karen,
please help Sammy's dad.
Speaker 12 (33:35):
I am so sorry, and your feelings of hopelessness and helplessness,
think of that. That's exactly what was happening to Sammy.
That Sammy felt like he had nowhere to turn, and
neither did your daughter, the other daughter who killed herself.
And I want you to know, Nancy, that people children
(33:56):
who are cyber bullied are four times more.
Speaker 13 (34:00):
Likely to commit suicide.
Speaker 12 (34:02):
That it is that ramp into an awful and a
problem that's happening right now. And Leez, do not go
over what you should have done, could have done. I
know you do it, Nancy, it's a normal action.
Speaker 13 (34:17):
But there is absolutely nothing that you could have done.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
It's the school.
Speaker 13 (34:23):
Those students should have been taken care.
Speaker 10 (34:25):
Of, removed.
Speaker 12 (34:27):
He was there to be helped and protected, not to
feel like he had a hide in the closet. Think
about that situation. It's so dreadful, unnecessary, not.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Okay, mister Toys, Tyler Hunter and all of our guests.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
There just doesn't seem a way through this.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
But there is a way, mister toysh tell me your
message tonight.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
Well, I've said before, I don't want to turn the
TV on and see more crying parents. It's wrong that
we do need a place to turn and we need
somebody to fight.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
Someone that I don't even know.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Started a petition on change dot org for Sammy's Bullying Act.
This is something that needs to be done at the
federal level to make sure the states are held accountable
for the laws that they do put into place. Something
needs to be done at that level to ensure a change.
(35:35):
You know, all these kids, all of them feel like
they have no way to fight back. They're going to
be in trouble if they do something, you know. I mean,
you have to be able to protect yourself. And if
you feel like there is no way you're going to
protect yourself.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
This is I guess I you know, And like, I.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
Don't even know how Sammy would know anything about any
of this, you know, it just he was a beautiful
child who loved being a kid.
Speaker 5 (36:05):
He was he was a kid. I don't I don't
know how, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
That's that's one thing that I'm hoping to gain with
Hunter and the other parents that this has happened to
you know, how can we actually stop this?
Speaker 5 (36:25):
There's no hope.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
It's just like it's just like to me, them releasing
their statement. You know, they never came here and told
us how sorry they are. They never reached out to
say I feel your pain, were here for you. It
was just instantly, well, we didn't know anything about it.
It's obviously got to be the parent's fault. Something at home.
(36:48):
You know, they never reported this to us, and then
they're just allowed to lie because there's no documentation.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
You know, if you called them from your cell phone
as even once there's documentation and as far as charges go,
I want to see that school bus video because I
guarantee you Sammy was not the aggressor. That was a
culmination of years of bullying. And you mentioned at the
(37:19):
get go where your son had gotten a text or
a message of some sort saying just wait till Monday,
you're gonna get it. There are ways to prove this case.
I am not going to rest until there are charges
against these bullies because until charges are brought, bullies and
(37:41):
the pain and misery they call it cause it's all
going to be swept under the rug, and children like
Sammy will continue to suffer. Some people, people that are
maybe more cunning or evil than the rest of us,
they won't stop until we make them stop, until we
(38:04):
make their parents acknowledge what their children are doing at school.
Sammy is gone and his family has a life sentence
of living without him. But by God, we can make
a difference, and we will make a difference. Please join us,
(38:26):
and if you or your child is suffering and having
thoughts of suicide, please dial or chat toll free nine
eight eight, a universal suicide hotline when you don't know
what else to do, And please visit Sammy's Bullying Act
(38:52):
on change dot.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Org to make a difference.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
For now, we can pray for Sammy's family, we can
pray for McKenna's family, and also we can fight. Thank
you for being with us tonight. Our prayers go on.
Good night, friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Breaking news tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Did a precious, beautiful little boy just ten years old
take his own life? Kill himself after horribly cruel school
bullies relentlessly mock his glasses and his teeth? At this hour,
(00:28):
criminal charges against those school bullies are being investigated.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
So why did the school do nothing?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I want answers now, Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This
is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Hundreds of mourners fill the pews at Brandywine Church to
remember Sammy Toysch. The Iron Sharpen's Iron Motorcycle Ministry volunteers
to escort Toysh's casket to the cemetery. More than one
hundred bikers had the procession. Community members and classmates cry
each other and leave flowers on Sammy's casket at the burial.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
When I look at Sammy, I think of Opie, Andy
and Mayburry. Look at this little angel, completely scrubbed in sunshine.
You're just hearing our friends at Crime on Line describing
a motorcade for his funeral so full of life and joy.
(01:30):
You can just see the energy. He's gone. He's gone
because of school bullies. Joining me an all star panel
to understand what is happening and frankly, why the school
did nothing. Of course they claim that's not true, but
(01:51):
I think that it is joining me right now. Special
guest is Sammy's father, sam Toys.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Thank you for having me. Nancy, I really appreciate you
letting us use your platform to get this word out.
There's nothing we're going to do to bring Sammy back
to the voice.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Mister Toyce, I've said this before. As a crime victim myself,
after my fiance was smartered, I thought I knew it
all about grief and mourning and trying to go through
hell and come out on the other end to do
something positive with my life.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
You know what, I knew nothing.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Nothing, zero, Because now that I have my two children,
I don't think there's anything that could compare to losing
your child.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
What happened that.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Day, I really wish I knew.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
I've replayed it in my head a million times.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
You know. We got up Sunday morning.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
And I was making eggs for the kids, and Sammy
and Xander wanted pancakes, and I didn't have enough left
from Saturday morning, so I ran over to Dollar General
to get pancakes, and I mean I was probably gone five, six,
(03:23):
seven minutes and I got back and I and as
soon as I got back, opened up the package.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
I'm dumping it in. Nikki had told Xander to go get.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
To go get Sammy because it was his grandma's birthday and.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
She wanted to call him. And I have all the
kids say happy birthday.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
And then I heard Xander's screen.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
And I ran upstairs and.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Found Sammy and I started CPR and I held him
in my arms and I opened his eyes and I
breathed it to him, and I was on the phone
with nine one one instantly before I even made it
to his bedroom.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
I was on the phone with nine one one couple.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I don't know how long after that, somebody busted by
me in my house upstairs and they said, I'm I'm
a fireman, I'm your neighbor. I heard this on the scanner,
and he started working on Sammy as the ambulances started
pulling up and.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
The fireman and police.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
And you know, it wasn't it wasn't a special morning.
There was nothing going on. You know, I had just
seen him. He was laying in bed with Nikki. He was,
he was snuggling with his mom.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
I keep a million times if I would have just
got home that Bama got your pancakes, you know, coma.
It's all been if I if, I I wish I
I could have, I should have. I didn't, you know,
I mean, it's been a million different things and it
hasn't stopped.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
I don't. I don't know. And then, you know, come
to find out later he had.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
We had his phone, so so we didn't have to
worry about anything. You know, there was another another kid's
phone that that this kid was calling and FaceTime and
then kept saying stuff to saying about you know, waiting
until you get to school on Monday.
Speaker 5 (05:56):
You know, you're you're really going to get it.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
And I, you know, I didn't know that until after
Xander had actually taken Sammy out of the room and downstairs.
So they sat there and played roblocks and then fell
asleep on the couch downstairs.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
And I wish I had an answer for you. I
wish I had an answer for me.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
You know, I do the same thing even now. I reply.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Everything that happened leading up to Keith Smarter that the
weekend before the morning up that day.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
The day before, we had soccer games in the morning,
the twins at soccer game, and then we went into
Indianapolis and there's a place called.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Pins down there that they got a bunch of games in.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
So we went there and played ping pong and ring
toss and you know, all kinds of other stuff pinballs,
and they had a great day, you know. And then
we got home and cooked on the grill. It was
real late. It was like nine thirty ten o'clock. Can
we barbecue hot dogs on the grill and then roasted
marshmallows and Sammy roasted marshmallows for Nicky, you know. I
(07:13):
you know, nothing extraordinary stands out that it was, you know,
because that's what we do all the time, where we
always do family.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I think that that is why everybody, including me and
I don't believe I'm afraid of anything except something happening
to my twins. And that is why what you're saying
is so scary. It's scary because everything no it is
(07:40):
we thought was fine.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
But everything's fine. At home. You're relling out.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You're spending so much time with your children, You and Nicole,
they're your universe.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
But what happens at school? And when I found out,
mister Toys.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
That people school bullies were making fun of Sammy's glasses
and his teeth. I don't think my brother will mind
me telling this, but when he was little, all the
way until he got his braces off, which was into
high school, everyone not us, but I didn't know this
(08:23):
till years later, called him horse face Grace.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
He was a little boy, little little boy, he had.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
But teeth, and my parents had to take out a
payment plan.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Remember the coupons that you'd filled out the coupon to.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Pay the loan and send in the check. They did
that for my brother to you know, get his teeth strayed.
And they had nothing, no money, but they did the
relentless bully. I never knew about it. They must have
have known, mister toych I mean, who are these children?
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Well, you know, the biggest thing is like as you
can imagine, I mean, you know that when you put
something on social media or anything else, that there's you
got to expect crap from both sides. So while the
outpouring of love and support has been great, I have
also gotten horrible, horrible messages about how this is our fault.
(09:28):
We're doing this for monetary gain.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Who is wrong with people?
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Now? Do you see what's happening, mister toysh They are
trying to do to you and Nicole?
Speaker 1 (09:50):
What was done to Sammy? Bullying, trolling, hateful one.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
The one we got yesterday said well, the kid didn't
need braces. You should have tooken him and got braces.
And the you know, the fact of the matter is,
and he still has baby teeth.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You can't get braces that early.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
You can't get braces. And like I told Sammy, you
got adult teeth coming in your little head. And here
pretty soon your head's going to equal out and everything's
everything's going to be in place where it needs to be.
You're beautiful, you know, there's nothing wrong with you.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
You know. Even after he got the glasses and.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
It was it was wonderful that day because Sammy loved
the outdoors. And when he first put those on and
when we went outside, he didn't know that the world
was supposed to look the way it was, you know,
and the wayflowers looked and grass and animals running by
and everything.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
He was fascinated.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
It was like he was seeing it for the first time,
and he absolutely loved him. And then that next day,
getting off the bus, you know, I was standing at
the end of my driveway and I watched him get
off the bus two doors down, and I could see
as soon as he got off he had those glasses
clenched in his fist and he was crying and and
he said, I'm ever wearing these stupid things again. There,
(11:20):
you know, it just it just gave him added ammunition.
I called the school, you know, and I'm mister toys.
We you know, we're handling this and and we're making
sure that stuff like this stops.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
And I took for granted that they were, you know up.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
I thought they were up until I seen the thing
from the school corporation that said there have been no reports.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Of bullying being made. And then it's like, wait.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
A minute, Wait a minute, you're you're calling me a
liar that I didn't sit here right in this chair
that I'm sitting in right now and hold Sammy. I
don't know how many times while he cried, trying to
explain to him, you know, the unfortunate part of being
a human being. You know, there's people out there who
(12:09):
do not care what you've got going on at home,
and do not care what anything else they're They're here
to persecute, and they're here to punish, and a lot
of times it's become it's because they come from an awful,
terrible place. And and that's that's a discussion that I
had with Sammy about how you don't know where these
kids come from.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
You don't know the awfulness that they're facing at home.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Most most you know, not most, I don't want to
say most, but a lot of kids don't have mommy.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
And daddy to come home to and cry on.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
And he thought about things like that, and then he
also thought about the fact that if he fights back,
he's the aggressor.
Speaker 5 (12:51):
He's got to be. He's got to be scared of
getting in trouble at school for defending himself.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Where As Americans we should no matter what your age is,
you should be able to defend yourself without fear or repercussion.
It's terrible, and it's the same with the friends. You know,
his friends couldn't help him.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I hear you saying that these bullies may may come
from a bad place, as you put it, maybe not
the best home, but that is no excuse for what
they did, and there is no excuse.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
I feel terrible for all of them.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
There is no excuse for the school now saying they
would never warned about the bullies.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
I know for a fact you told them and you
asked for help.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
They are claiming they knew nothing, and they keep talking
about all their grief and they're out.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Pouring of grief.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
Now.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
They are saying that they have worked with you guys
over the lane last months.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
But did that ever happen?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
They've talked to us several times. I mean, that's what
he's talking about, you know. I mean they're they're just
pushing the buck.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Did they do anything to help?
Speaker 5 (14:13):
No?
Speaker 4 (14:14):
No, even the time when he got smacked in the
face with his iPad on the bus, you know, he
got kicked off the bus for that. They said at
that point in time police would be contacted.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
This is assault. I don't know for sure if that
happened or not. I'm sure that that'll come out in this.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
But you know, the one guy that watched the video
said this is the worst video I've ever seen.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Joining me in Ulstar panel, but special guest Sammy's father
is with us. Sam Toysch. Mister Toysch, you mentioned that
there was a video which was, as you said, horrible.
What was the video on the school bus? Correct?
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Yeah, but I was never allowed to see it. I
still haven't seen it. I don't know at this point
if I want to see it. I mean, if you
know what did it depict? It depicts Sammy getting getting hit,
uh not just hit, attacked.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
They they told me that police we're going to be
contacted about this, that you know, someone will be held.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Accountable for this, and it never happened.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
I do not know.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
That answer is that when Sammy was hit with the iPad. Yes,
what did he look like when he got off of
the bus.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Is that he had a cut by his eyebrow, which
is where his glasses had broke, like right here underneath
his uh earholders or whatever, so that pushed into his face,
knocks his knocked his lens out.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
This was his right eye. So you know, I did.
I do have pictures of that, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
To Stacy Honowitz joining me, Assistant State's Attorney, Child Abuse Unit,
author of the bully at school, really uncool, Stacy, thank
you for being with us, you know, Stacy, After covering
so many cases about bullies where the victim actually the child,
a victim actually commits suicide.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I was so worried.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Do you know, not one time from pre K to
tenth grade as of right now, pre K to tenth grade,
did I ever let the twins ride a bus.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I rode a bus.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Everybody I know rides their children ride the bus because
we think it's safe.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
We're supposed to be safe. It's not.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And the abuse only continued one Sammy got to school Stacy,
and I know the school is saying they did everything right,
be as I don't believe it.
Speaker 6 (17:08):
Well, I mean, I've seen many cases where things have
happened at the school and the school later on goes
on to say we were unaware of it. Now, certainly
they were aware of it, and the schools know that
if somebody calls in about a bullying situation, any kind
of criminal situation, any kind of situation that involves their child,
there are notes that have to be taken, There are
records that have to be kept, There are outside sources
(17:31):
that have to be called, such as the police, and
certainly if the police were contacted with regard to this,
there would have been a statement from dad from the child,
something would have happened. I hate to say, but I
think lots of times when things happened at school, especially
on the school bus, that's really blowed down on the
chain as to being investigated. Where was the bus driver?
(17:52):
Why didn't the bus driver make a statement? I'm telling
you something else, Stacy?
Speaker 2 (17:57):
When this if the school is wrong, and I have
reason to believe they are, when they're saying, well, we
did everything right, all of these defenses. If they intimate
Sammy's mother and father are lying, then they're looking at
a big fat defamation lawsuit.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I think they have a.
Speaker 6 (18:17):
Couple of suits now. If that's the case in defamation,
certainly a failure to protect, there's a failure to protect.
There's a neglect. There are several things that go along
with situations like this. They are rare, but certainly once
you pull those records, once you see if calls were made,
once you pull the video, once you talk to the
bus driver, all of these factors are going to come
(18:40):
to light.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
From what we understand, Sammy's parents tried everything listen.
Speaker 7 (18:45):
After Sammy Toys's death, Greenfield Central Community Schools denied that
any reports of bullying had been made, but Sammy's family
says Greenfield Intermediate was well aware of the problem. Sam
and Nicole Toysch, who works at the school, called many
times to raise concerns.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
They also received several calls.
Speaker 7 (19:04):
Teachers reported that Sammy was fearful at school and would
hide under his desk and in closets. Several other families
have come forward with reports of bullying, one mom claiming
she found her eleven year old son's detailed plans to
end his life due to the torment joining me.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
In addition to Sammy's father, Sam toys is his brother Tyler. Tyler,
I can't even imagine what you're going through. To think
of your little brother hiding under a desk and in
closets at school to escape bullies.
Speaker 8 (19:39):
It is not something I ever imagined to happen or
imagine was happening. You know, I knew slightly about what
was happening from my parents, my mom and her husband,
but didn't really know the full extent until after.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
The happened.
Speaker 8 (20:00):
In it, it's just been I can't even describe what
it's been like, you know, since everything has happened, it's
really hard on us all, and it's especially hard to
see your family hurting over this as well as having
that same pain and that same grief.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Now, it's curious a lot of people don't understand it.
I do understand it, having dealt with so many crime victims.
Actually I don't understand it, but I accept it. I
accept it. This is true that a victim can be
suffering so much, but they don't tell mom and dad.
They don't talk about it as much at home. They
(20:45):
try to just suck it up and keep going. Did
Sammy ever let on what was happening at school? I mean,
this little boy's hiding under desks at school. What teacher
didn't see that and fix it? He's hiding in closets
at school and nobody's doing anything to protect him.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Tyler.
Speaker 8 (21:07):
I know he had spoken, you know, quite often with
my mom and her husband about that when I spoke,
and that's where I'm getting my information from them.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
So as a big brother.
Speaker 8 (21:21):
You know, you want to give him that support and
give him that room to talk. But I think for me,
you know, we stood talk every day almost at least
text or you know, he'd call me in video chat,
and it was more so I think just an escape
for him to just kind of not have to think
(21:43):
about it. And you know, I was trying to make
him laugh and we'd have a lot of fun. And
I still keep looking at my phone hoping he's going
to call.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
He's just absolutely gorgeous, this boy. I don't understand why
this happened. The relentless bullying, the mocking of this little boy.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Until he takes his own life.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Dad rushes back from getting supplies to make pancakes, runs
up the steps little Sammy, still warm to the touch,
He tries everything.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Sammy is gone.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Instead of preparing to celebrate the summer, they had to
have a funeral for their ten.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Year old little boy. I don't understand it.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
At this hour, we are learning that an investigation is
taking place. Will Sammy Tysh's bullies actually face criminal charges
as they should.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
He wasn't fighting back.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
He was beaten with his own iPad on the school bus.
And it went on and on and on. Sammy's dad
sam with us, mister toys. Did you have any idea?
Did any t shirt reach out and say, Sammy's hiding
under the desk at school.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
He's hiding. I'm going to try to help you.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Did anybody do anything They always pampered.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
They always said, yes, we're taking care of this, this
will stop happening.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
It isn't going to happen again. You know, they didn't
do anything.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
You know how many other parents are out there that
dread sending their children to school.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Absolutely, my son had.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
A bully, my daughter had a girl bully.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
And I would just die in the mornings when I
would drop them off. I would tell them everything you're
supposed to know about bullies.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
I follow the book, I listened to Stacy Honowitz, I
did it all.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
The bullies didn't stop until finally, guess what. The bully
punched my son in the stomach. And I had a
march on a school and do you know how many
other parents showed up that the same bully had choked,
handled cursed at their children. There were so many they
(24:18):
couldn't even fit in the conference room.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I had no idea what was happening.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And my son begged me, don't say anything, mom for
years until finally going into year three and he got
pushed in the stomach.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
All hgwl Brook loose.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I can tell you that what would Sammy say when
he would come home, mister toysh I don't.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Know what to do about it. I don't want to
be in trouble.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
I don't want to, you know, because I had went
from telling him turn the other cheek, which was, you
know that how we teach these kids, we don't teach
them to hate people, to telling him.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
You know, you're going to have to do something.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
And his thing was, you know, because he was a
good student, so he didn't want to be in trouble
at school, and he was getting in.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Trouble at school for that, you know, they were.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Actually forming him into a behavior case, you know.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
And the more I look back on it now, it would.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
Always redirect onto how well, you know, you need to
hold Sammy accountable for his actions, and I'm like, man,
I'm not holding him accountable for being picked on.
Speaker 5 (25:28):
I'm gonna come this is his safe place.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
This is where he knows that he can be loved
and secured and nothing's gonna happen to him here.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Well, I think the school bus video shows at all
the fact that he was not the aggressor at all.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Lauren Conlin, investigative journalists joining us who has been on
the case from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Lauren thank you for being with us.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
What can you tell me about reports that are happening
as of right now that there is a criminal investigation
going on. And another thing, FYI needs flash. Corporations like
schools can be criminally held responsible. It's hard to do,
It's very hard to do, but it can be done.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Oh yes it can. And if they keep putting it out.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
There that Sammy's dad or mom never warned them, they're
looking at a big fat lawsuit for defamation suggesting that
the Toyes are lying, because I will stake my life
on it. The Toyses are not lying. They did contact
the school. What do you know about these alleged charges.
Speaker 9 (26:52):
Well, I'm sorry, my eyes are watering. I'm just so
incredibly sorry here. But I do want to point out, unfortunately,
year last March, about three hours away in Covington, Indiana,
another young boy, a thirteen year old, also died by
suicide because of bullying.
Speaker 10 (27:10):
He actually made a video naming his bullies.
Speaker 9 (27:12):
And at this point the Indiana General Assemblies sprang into
action and they actually.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Were able to pass a bill.
Speaker 9 (27:19):
This is House Bill fourteen eighty three in regards to
bullying and so what this bill states and this is
a law is that if bullying report is made to
the school, each set of parents, the child being bullied
and the alleged perpetrator, they have to be notified within
five days and then action items need to be set.
(27:43):
There needs to be action items on the table for
both families.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
To agree to.
Speaker 9 (27:47):
And at one point it cable for this law for
the children to actually change schools. So I believe that
this is what's happening right now. There is an investigation.
They are possibly possibly looking into phone calls, emails, and
I believe that the school may end up being in
deep trouble.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Joining you right now in addition to Sammy's father joining us,
Sam toysh who is just living through a hell, won't
you help us speak out?
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Won't you help us speak out.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Against bullying, against what's happening to our children at school?
Regarding this case Greenfield Pd three one seven four seven
seven four four one zero repeat three one seven four
seven seven.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Four four one zero.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Joining me right now is in addition to Sammy's dad,
McKenna's father is joining us along with Sammy's brother Tyler
Hunter Brown.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
For being with us in any words of wisdom you
have for Sammy's dad.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
We're all ears.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
You did everything right, you and your wife everything right,
but then a.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Parent's worst nightmare comes true.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Mister Brown, I'm thinking about ten year old Sammy who
was seemingly defenseless. Well, he was defenseless against a gang
of bullies. McKenna seemed as if she had everything the
world at the tip of her fingers, just beautiful, smart,
(29:36):
the star athlete. But even McKenna became prey to bullies.
Speaker 11 (29:42):
McKenna's bullying happened really quickly and started basically on a Wednesday,
and she took her own life Sunday morning.
Speaker 10 (29:51):
It happened very fast for us. We didn't have time.
Speaker 11 (29:53):
To really get in front of it, or just basically,
my wife found out the day and a half before
I found out the day after, you know, the social
media aspect of it. And it happened days before she
was supposed to start her senior year. She'd had an
episode of bullying her freshman year, and nobody knew better
(30:16):
than mkenna you could outrun social media or the Internet.
And I think you know, just that dread of her
senior year starting over the way that her freshman year
began was too.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Much for her too. Mister Brown joining us, Dada, McKennon.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Brown, What were those days and nights like immediately after
McKenna's suicide?
Speaker 1 (30:38):
How did you get through?
Speaker 11 (30:39):
You know, it's uh I grew up in a different era.
Speaker 10 (30:43):
That kind of stuff was just kept very quiet.
Speaker 11 (30:46):
You didn't really talk about it, You didn't discuss it.
Speaker 10 (30:48):
It happened, but it wasn't really in the paper.
Speaker 11 (30:50):
It might have been just a little blurb that was
on page nine or whatever. And we agreed that, you know,
Cheryl and I got together and we talked and we
said that we would focus on you know, McKenna had
a special need sister, and she has a brother who
currently plays hockey and NCAA D three up in New Hampshire,
and we agreed that we would.
Speaker 10 (31:09):
Focus on those two, you know, not really do basically what.
Speaker 11 (31:14):
I'm doing now that you know, we would focus on
our family and what we had left and just try
and push through it. And then very quickly when we
found out what had happened to McKenna, because we didn't
realize until some friends that had received the text or
phone calls or saw Instagram or TikTok came forward what
had really happened, and very quickly we realized that you know,
(31:34):
this couldn't be kept silent, that we needed to get
out in front of it. And you know, some media
called the Lighting High School Tampa Bay Lightning run the
high school, local high school hockey league, they call, they
had concerns.
Speaker 10 (31:48):
So we got out in front of it really quickly.
Speaker 11 (31:51):
And you know, I mean that would be my advice
to Sammy, and you know, Sam would be that, you know, there's.
Speaker 10 (31:58):
A large group of us. We're no longer silent.
Speaker 11 (32:01):
We've become vocal, We've become active, and unfortunately the group
just continues to grow.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
We're charges ever brought against mcanna's bullies.
Speaker 11 (32:11):
No so Interestingly enough, I dug through did a little
bit of research in that and Indiana, similar political environment
and men to that. In Florida, they have a similar
bullying law. The bullying law is really tied up in
the education Code and what it does is that's parameters
for how the school system has to react, some steps
(32:32):
they have to take, defines bullying, that sort of stuff.
Bullying really in Florida and as far as.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
I can tell, in Indiana, as the Panella's.
Speaker 11 (32:40):
County Sheriff's office, let me know is not a crime.
Charges were never brought. Law enforcement is very reluctant to
get active in this space. You know, there's several names
that come to mind, Rebecca Sedgewick, I forget the girl's
name in the Panhandle. Charge were brought in both those cases.
(33:02):
They were very much more egregious and longer runner.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Following up on what Hunter just told us, mckenn's dad
Karen started joining me renounced psychologist, TV radio trauma expert Karen.
That just leaves the parents with even more feelings of
helplessness because there are laws on the book to investigate
(33:25):
criminally and charge bullies, but it won't happen. It's not happening. Karen,
please help Sammy's dad.
Speaker 12 (33:35):
I am so sorry, and your feelings of hopelessness and helplessness,
think of that. That's exactly what was happening to Sammy.
That Sammy felt like he had nowhere to turn, and
neither did your daughter, the other daughter who killed herself.
And I want you to know, Nancy, that people children
(33:56):
who are cyber bullied are four times more.
Speaker 13 (34:00):
Likely to commit suicide.
Speaker 12 (34:02):
That it is that ramp into an awful and a
problem that's happening right now. And Leez, do not go
over what you should have done, could have done. I
know you do it, Nancy, it's a normal action.
Speaker 13 (34:17):
But there is absolutely nothing that you could have done.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
It's the school.
Speaker 13 (34:23):
Those students should have been taken care.
Speaker 10 (34:25):
Of, removed.
Speaker 12 (34:27):
He was there to be helped and protected, not to
feel like he had a hide in the closet. Think
about that situation. It's so dreadful, unnecessary, not.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Okay, mister Toys, Tyler Hunter and all of our guests.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
There just doesn't seem a way through this.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
But there is a way, mister toysh tell me your
message tonight.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
Well, I've said before, I don't want to turn the
TV on and see more crying parents. It's wrong that
we do need a place to turn and we need
somebody to fight.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
Someone that I don't even know.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
Started a petition on change dot org for Sammy's Bullying Act.
This is something that needs to be done at the
federal level to make sure the states are held accountable
for the laws that they do put into place. Something
needs to be done at that level to ensure a change.
(35:35):
You know, all these kids, all of them feel like
they have no way to fight back. They're going to
be in trouble if they do something, you know. I mean,
you have to be able to protect yourself. And if
you feel like there is no way you're going to
protect yourself.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
This is I guess I you know, And like, I.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
Don't even know how Sammy would know anything about any
of this, you know, it just he was a beautiful
child who loved being a kid.
Speaker 5 (36:05):
He was he was a kid. I don't I don't
know how, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
That's that's one thing that I'm hoping to gain with
Hunter and the other parents that this has happened to
you know, how can we actually stop this?
Speaker 5 (36:25):
There's no hope.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
It's just like it's just like to me, them releasing
their statement. You know, they never came here and told
us how sorry they are. They never reached out to
say I feel your pain, were here for you. It
was just instantly, well, we didn't know anything about it.
It's obviously got to be the parent's fault. Something at home.
(36:48):
You know, they never reported this to us, and then
they're just allowed to lie because there's no documentation.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
You know, if you called them from your cell phone
as even once there's documentation and as far as charges go,
I want to see that school bus video because I
guarantee you Sammy was not the aggressor. That was a
culmination of years of bullying. And you mentioned at the
(37:19):
get go where your son had gotten a text or
a message of some sort saying just wait till Monday,
you're gonna get it. There are ways to prove this case.
I am not going to rest until there are charges
against these bullies because until charges are brought, bullies and
(37:41):
the pain and misery they call it cause it's all
going to be swept under the rug, and children like
Sammy will continue to suffer. Some people, people that are
maybe more cunning or evil than the rest of us,
they won't stop until we make them stop, until we
(38:04):
make their parents acknowledge what their children are doing at school.
Sammy is gone and his family has a life sentence
of living without him. But by God, we can make
a difference, and we will make a difference. Please join us,
(38:26):
and if you or your child is suffering and having
thoughts of suicide, please dial or chat toll free nine
eight eight, a universal suicide hotline when you don't know
what else to do, And please visit Sammy's Bullying Act
(38:52):
on change dot.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Org to make a difference.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
For now, we can pray for Sammy's family, we can
pray for McKenna's family, and also we can fight. Thank
you for being with us tonight. Our prayers go on.
Good night, friend,
Host
Nancy Grace
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