E-Paper
Sammy Teusch death: Dad describes horrifying moment he found Indiana boy dead, 'I couldn't save him'
Sammy Teusch, 10, killed himself on May 5 after days of relentless bullying at school
The father of Sammy Teusch, a 10-year-old Indiana boy who killed himself after being bullied at school, has opened up about the moment he found out his son was dead. Sammy died on May 5 after days of relentless bullying at school.
Shortly before Sammy died, one of his bullies allegedly told him over a phone call, "You're going to to get it on Monday, you ain't seen nothing yet.” Sam Teusch, his father, said that Sammy was in bed the next day, “cuddling” with his mother when he asked the child if he wanted eggs or pancakes for breakfast. Sammy said he wanted pancakes.
Sam then went off to the Dollar General to get some pancake mix. When he got home, his wife Nicole asked their other son, Xander, 11, to go fetch Sammy to eat. What happened next was shocking, with Xander screaming that Sammy had died.
"Sammy's dead! Sammy's dead! Sammy's dead!" Xander yelled.
Sam, father of Sammy, Xander, 11-year-old Scarlett and 13-year-old Oliver, has not revealed how Sammy killed himself. He just said that "it wasn't a gun.” "I want to quash that rumor right now,” he told Inside Edition Digital.
‘I couldn't save him’
“I held him in my arms,” Sam previously told WTHR. “I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and any time I close my eyes, it’s all I can see.”
Sam and Nicole claimed that they complained to Sammy’s school, Greenfield Intermediate School, at least 20 times about the alleged bullying. They have accused the school of failing to protect the child. The bullies allegedly called Sammy’s sister “a whore” and even made fun of his mother. They also mocked him for his teeth, broke his glasses and beat him up on the school bus.
"I blame myself," Sam said. "I couldn't save him. And I feel terrible, every single second, that he isn't here. That he isn't running through the door to give me a hug. That he isn't banging on the back door to show me something he's caught."
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
