Solemn images captured the funeral of a 10-year-old boy who was bullied into committing suicide, with his vigil surrounded by hundreds of motorbikes escorting his small coffin.
Mourners gathered in Greenfield, Indiana, on Tuesday for the funeral of Sammy Teusch, who tragically committed suicide on May 5 after enduring years of harassment.
Grief-stricken classmates and family friends were seen crying as Sammy’s casket was carried from a ceremony to his final resting place, the Brandywine Church Cemetery.
Many visited the boy’s service without having met him, but were moved by Sammy’s story after his parents told of their anguish.
‘He was my little one. He was my baby. He was the youngest,” said his grieving mother, Nichole. WTHRAs his father Sam said, bullies targeted his son because of his appearance.
Solemn footage captured the moment hundreds of motorcycles rode side by side as they paid their respects at the funeral of 10-year-old Sammy Teusch in Greenfield, Indiana, on Tuesday.
Sammy Teusch, 10, tragically committed suicide on May 5 after suffering years of abuse.
In heartbreaking footage from Sammy’s funeral, his parents are seen standing over his coffin crying as mourners shuffled past.
In heartbreaking footage from Sammy’s funeral, his parents were seen holding his coffin and crying as mourners shuffled past.
Sammy’s motorcycle escort was met by Iron sharpens iron Motorcycle Ministrywho said they were “honored” to participate.
Before he rested, a service was held in a nearby auditorium, where loved ones shared fond memories of the boy and his family, and a pastor read a final prayer.
Neighbor Andrew McIntosh gave the young man’s eulogy and recalled how Sammy quickly became friends with his son Judah after moving to the neighborhood.
“There in my hallway was a handsome boy who, I swear, could have been taken from an Andy Griffith episode or a Norman Rockwell painting,” she said, according to the newspaper. Green Field Reporter.
“I knew right away that my son had been a good friend,” she said, adding that the 10-year-old seemed popular with local children and was often seen with “the biggest smile on his face.”
“He just looked at me sweating, with those glasses riding up his cheeks over a smile that was too big for his little face,” McIntosh said.
“But when he smiled, and I mean really smiled, he seemed to absorb the darkness from every corner of the room.”
A candlelight vigil is also planned for Friday in Greenfield, as the small town recovers from Sammy’s tragic suicide.
Mourners gathered for Sammy’s funeral on Tuesday morning; many did not know the boy but were moved by his tragic story.
In a eulogy at Sammy’s funeral, his neighbor said the 10-year-old seemed popular with local children and was often seen with “the biggest smile on his face.”
Sammy’s parents, Nichole and Sam, said their son had been bullied about his glasses and then his teeth.
According to the family, they contacted their son’s school 20 times about the bullying.
Sammy’s motorcycle escort was greeted by Iron Sharpens Iron Motorcycle Ministry, who said they were “honoured” to take part.
Tributes poured in for the 10-year-old boy after his tragic suicide, as his grieving mother said after his death: “He was my little boy.” He was my baby
His parents, Sam and Nichole, said he was subjected to both physical and emotional bullying at his school, and was tormented daily until the night of his death.
They said the bullying started last year when he was in elementary school and continued through Greenfield Middle School.
The bullying escalated until a recent incident on a school bus where he was hit, and Sammy’s parents claimed that they had informed teachers and school staff about the bullying 20 times, but no action was taken.
His father Sam told him WTHR: ‘At first they made fun of him for his glasses and then they made fun of his teeth. This lasted a long time.
‘I held him in my arms. I did what no parent should ever do, and every time I close my eyes, that’s all I can see.’
Then the abuse turned physical, Sam added: “They beat him up on the school bus and the kids broke his glasses and everything.”
‘I called the school and said, ‘What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse. And it’s not getting better. In fact, it’s getting worse.
speaking to 21aliveher grandmother Cynthia said, “They can’t just say they have zero tolerance because that doesn’t mean there’s zero tolerance for bullies.”
‘Their zero tolerance means they have no responsibility in this regard. “People trust their children in school, but now that trust is being broken.”
Her grandmother Cynthia says the trust people place in schools has collapsed
His parents, Sam and Nichole, say he was physically and emotionally bullied at school, and Sammy was recently hit on a school bus.
Sammy’s heartbroken family said they harassed him every day until the night of his death.
The outlet reached out to Dr. Harold Olin for an interview and he said he was unavailable, but stated that the family had never filed any reports of bullying.
Olin added that school administrators had conversations with the family throughout the year, but did not share the content of these conversations.
Sam added: ‘[The school] I knew this was happening,’ with the bullying going from school and the bus to social media platforms like Snapchat.
His mother Nichole said: ‘He was my little boy. He was my baby. He was the youngest.
The bullying began last year when he was in elementary school and continued through Greenfield Middle School.
The outlet reached out to Dr. Harold Olin (left) for an interview and was told he was unavailable. Bronson Curtis, right,
Greenfield-Central Community School said in a statement: ‘The death of Samuel Teusch is tragic and has left our school corporation and the broader community in tremendous pain. Our hearts go out to the family right now.
‘Sammy was a student at Greenfield-Central for the last year and a half. He completed his third grade at Weston Elementary School in May 2023 and was a fourth grade student at Greenfield Middle School during the current 2023-24 school year.
‘We learned of his death on Sunday afternoon and sent our crisis response team to Greenfield Middle School and Greenfield Central High School (where he has two brothers) to start the week.
‘Our staff at Greenfield-Central has worked extensively with the Teusch family over the past 18 months. Contact between school staff and parents was frequent.
‘The parents reported the manner of death as suicide and we are investigating their claims related to bullying.
“While the investigation continues, we are focusing our resources primarily on meeting the immediate needs of the students we serve in Greenfield-Central schools.”