10-Year-Old Santa Ana Girl Takes Her Own Life; Police Investigation Rumors Of Bullying
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Area police are investigating the death of a 10-year-old girl in Santa Ana who died by suicide.
Santa Ana detectives were at Hazard Elementary School on Monday investigating reports that the girl was bullied.
According to officials, the girl died at home on Sunday. Police said her 9-year-old sister was the one who found her.
Police confirmed that they were looking into a report that the fifth-grader may have been bullied.
Officers said they would be interviewing those who knew her, as well as looking at social media and text messages to try to determine if bullying was a factor in her death.
One neighbor said the girl seemed happy and would often play games with her younger siblings.
"She was always like funny...she was always really nice to everybody," Jacob Ortiz, a classmate, said. "She would give a lot of people hugs a lot."
A rosary was planned at the girl's home Monday evening.
Garden Grove Unified School District said in a statement:
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of one of our students. We have our crisis counselors on site today and throughout the week to ensure students and staff have support during this difficult time. While the Santa Ana Police Department is conducting a thorough investigation, we have no evidence to support this rumor. Hazard Elementary School has a longstanding PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) program and takes a proactive approach to promote a positive school culture."
According to the neighbor, the girl's parents monitored her social media accounts.
