EXCLUSIVE
A 12-year-old schoolgirl who took her own life after months of relentless bullying on Snapchat poured out her heart in heartbreaking videos just before her death.
Ella Catley-Crawford died in hospital on Saturday a week after her suicide attempt, following nine months of misery at the hands of students who hunted her down.
The harassment began after Ella, of manly in brisbane, In February of this year, she earned an academic scholarship to Lourdes Hill College, an elite private girls’ school.
Her “hypervigilant” mother, Julie Crawford, 55, moved her to public school Redlands College after just one term, but says the damage had already been done.
“She was immediately happier and the new school was fantastic, but bullies still targeted her through the apps,” Ms Crawford told Daily Mail Australia.
In the lead-up to her death, Ella shared her daily struggles through multiple emotional TikTok posts on a secret account she had kept hidden.
Posting a selfie of a single tear on her cheek, Ella’s heartbreaking captions revealed her pain, but with each one, she added: “Other people have it worse.”
“No one really likes me, but other people have it worse,” he wrote just three days before attempting to take his own life.
Secret posts from Ella’s TikTik account show her heartbreaking struggles days before taking her own life.
Tormented schoolgirl Ella Catley-Crawford, 12, (pictured with her mother, Julie) has donated her vital organs to save others after evil online bullies drove her to her death.
Talented Ella Catley-Crawford wins academic scholarship to high school
“I’m literally struggling a lot, but other people have it worse,” he added. ‘I can barely get out of bed, but other people have it worse.
“I’m not really eating, but other people have it worse.” I cry almost every day, but there are other people who have it worse.
With other tragic posts addressing the loss of friendships, her appearance and self-harm, friends have since flooded the comments sections.
“The signs we all overlook: I’m so sorry, Ella, you didn’t deserve any of this,” a friend commented.
“This is making me cry, the signs were there,” added another.
Ella’s last post was at 3 a.m. on the day her mother found her lifeless body at home.
“I have nothing to post, #I miss you,” he said.
The 12-year-old girl’s torment did not surprise her devoted mother, who He had given Ella his old phone for Christmas to entertain her on the bus to and from school.
I had banned him from using apps like tik tok and Snapchat, bBut when Ella started seventh grade, she saw that her daughter was glued to her phone screen.
“At first I thought he was just texting his new friends,” she said.
‘I knew they had a Year Seven group chat, but it was Snapchat.
‘I made her delete it immediately even though she told me she was being safe.
“I don’t know how, but she made another account and hid it from me.”
Despite Ms Crawford’s repeated attempts to end Ella’s use of social media, the harassment escalated quickly and regularly left her daughter in tears.
Then in March, Ms Crawford, a human resources manager, received a call from the school claiming concerns had been raised that Ella, then 11, had been bullying other students online.
“I told them ‘I don’t think so’, that they were wrong and they investigated it further,” he said.
Days later, three Year Seven girls were suspended from Lourdes College for bullying Ella online.
Julie Crawford regularly found Ella crying over the messages she received, but the worried mother couldn’t see them due to the app’s automatic deletion of messages.
Julie Crawford, 55, says she knew her only daughter was suffering but couldn’t stop it, despite doing everything she could to protect her.
The school never gave Crawford the details of its findings, but the damage had been done, his mother said.
“I don’t know exactly what it was about,” he added.
‘People had posed as people they were not, a girl posed as a boy and the messages Ella sent them were shared with others.
“Her friends started pulling away from her and not inviting her to a birthday party and some of the kids said they needed a break, that it was too much, that she was too much.”
Principal Kay Gleeson sent an email to parents of Lourdes Hill College students on Tuesday alerting them to Ella’s death, calling it “devastating news.”
He added: “We have a zero-tolerance policy against harassment.”
”The well-being of our students remains our top priority and we are committed to providing a caring, safe and supportive environment.
‘The next few weeks will be particularly difficult and community members may have different responses to this tragedy.
‘We understand that our community will have many questions about this. However, out of respect for those affected, I ask that we avoid any speculation or discussion.”
Mrs Crawford moved her “bright and quirky” daughter to Redlands College at the end of term one in April.
But although Ella felt instantly happier and made new friends, she couldn’t escape the online abuse that followed.
“She was so depressed I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with depression and was on medication,” her mother told Daily Mail Australia.
“But I made sure I was always around and that we had things to do to keep her busy.”
Crawford says that when her daughter got distracted by things she was looking forward to, her “best friend and love of her life” would return to her happy self.
But as soon as he was left with his phone, things changed quickly.
“Some days during the holidays he wouldn’t get out of bed,” his mother said.
“I just hoped it wouldn’t get worse, but I never expected her to commit suicide.”
Julie Crawford found Ella apparently lifeless on Sunday, October 27, and began resuscitation while waiting for paramedics.
She was on life support for a week before losing her fight on Sunday.
Ms Crawford found her daughter apparently lifeless on Sunday, October 27, and began CPR while waiting for paramedics.
She was rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and spent a week on life support before doctors confirmed she had no brain activity.
Queensland Police have Ella’s phone and iPad and are now investigating her death.
On Monday, Andrew Johnson, principal of Redlands College, texted parents of Year Seven students with details of a special counseling service.
Students in Ella’s year learned of her death the same day.
“The university will not be making any formal announcements for other year levels, but will invite parents to make the decision about whether and when they will share this news with their son or daughter,” Mr Johnson added.
Ella’s heartbroken mother says that without her she has nothing left, so she will now dedicate herself to raising awareness in the hope of helping others.
His family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs, time off work to grieve and facilitate greater awareness.
“Bullying on social media is real,” the fundraising appeal adds.
‘If you’re asking if we’re angry, yes, we are. If you ask if we are sad, absolutely. And if you ask if the system let her down, it did.
‘This catastrophic reality has changed our family’s history forever.
“Social media and online presence pose real dangers, and despite our efforts to keep our children safe, technology can become an addictive lifeline, especially when they feel isolated.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36.
