The parents of a bullied ten-year-old girl who took her own life are planning to sue her school for alleged “negligence.”
Autumn Brooke Bushman, 10, of Roanoke, Virginia, died on March 21, devastating her parents, Mark and Summer Bushman, and two older siblings.
And following a memorial over the weekend, the parents have accused Mountain View Elementary School of failing to act upon their daughter’s bullying complaints.
The Bushman’s revealed they have since discovered Autumn kept a newspaper clipping about Aubreigh Wyatt – a 13-year-old girl from Mississippi who took her own life in 2023 – in her desk at home.
They say Autumn was initially bullied over her teeth, but this escalated this school year to physical threats.
And they claim nothing was done by the school when they complained – and they were never informed about visits Autumn made to the school counselor.
“We can’t stop voicing our concerns,” Mark, 36, a senior logistics analyst, said of parents raising bullied children.
“We have to come together and figure out a plan. We can’t keep fighting the same battle. The school must take accountability.”
At around 9:30 p.m. on March 21, Autumn told her mother goodnight before going to her room.
“I went to my bedroom and went to sleep,” Summer, 36, a payables specialist, recalled.
The next morning, she discovered the unimaginable.
“Her bedroom light was on, which was odd because she never slept with it on,” she explained. “The door was locked, and I couldn’t get in.
“My 17-year-old son came out of his bedroom, and I told him she wasn’t responding. I broke down the door, and that’s when we saw her.”
Summer, who hasn’t publicly discussed the cause of Autumn’s death, would only say that her daughter kept a newspaper clipping about Aubreigh Wyatt in her desk — something discovered after the fact.
Aubreigh Wyatt — the 13-year-old girl from Mississippi who made headlines in 2023 after committing suicide — was, like Autumn, a victim of bullying.
“I don’t want many details released,” Summer said. “I don’t want any girls to repeat this.”
Paramedics arrived, but it was too late.
“They came right back down and said she was deceased. There was nothing they could do.
“I was in complete shock and denial. All I could do was scream. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen.”
Mark recalls changes in Autumn’s demeanor before her death.
“She wore bright, vibrant colors growing up, but then shifted to earthy tones, blue and black. In hindsight, maybe she wanted to fly under the radar.”
Her energy levels also declined.
“She wasn’t as excited about things she used to love. In the last two or three days, she took naps, which was really unusual for her.”
Still, Autumn maintained connections with friends.
“She still had a close friend next door, a girl around her age,” Mark said. “They were playing together and laughing a lot and doing the normal things.
“She did have moments where she was happy and bubbly.”
But those moments contrasted sharply with what she endured at school. Autumn, a fourth grader at Mountain View Elementary School, was frequently teased.
She had enamel hypoplasia – a developmental defect causing thin, weak, or missing enamel – and Mark said she was “made fun of for her teeth.”
“She came home crying to me,” he said.
During this school year, however, the bullying cast a darker shadow over her life, escalating beyond cruel words to threats of physical confrontation.
“One girl told her on the bus, ‘Meet me in the bathroom when we get to school.’
“When we addressed it, all we got was, ‘We’ve handled it.’ That’s why it continued. There were no real consequences.”
He added: “It got very cruel. It wasn’t just about her appearance but anything that was low-hanging fruit.”
Autumn frequently complained about bullying — even visiting the school counselor — but her parents say they never received a call.
“Nobody ever called us,” Mark said. “When we suggested contacting the school, Autumn didn’t like that idea.
“It came from previous times when she went to the counselor. It only made things worse. The aggressors found out and faced no repercussions.”
Now, the Bushmans are determined to fight for change.
“We do plan on taking legal action against the school,” Summer said. “Those are conversations we’re having.”
Along with their 17-year-old son, Summer has a 12-year-old daughter who she describes as “Autumn’s best friend.”
The family is left mourning their beloved daughter and sister but remains committed to making a difference.
“We want something good to come of this,” Mark said. “I know our daughter would want that. She passed the torch to us, and we want to run with it.”
Summer remembers her daughter’s vibrant personality.
“Autumn was a very, very special little girl. She loved so hard and wanted to be loved by so many. She just lit up a room. She smiled with her eyes.”
Mark added: “In just 10 years, it feels like she fit an entire lifetime of joy, laughter, and love.”
Mountain View Elementary School did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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