Dead Girl's Diary Alleging Bullying To Be Made Public
Police going to Celina Okwuone's school after she hanged herself last week.
May 24, 2010— -- Florida police investigating the death of a fifth grader who hanged herself are scheduled to go to the girl's school this week after finding a diary detailing how she was apparently tormented by bullies.
The diary entries are expected to be made public later this week, Port St. Lucie Police spokesman Tom Nichols told ABC News.
"Detectives are going to the school this week to talk to students and teachers," Nichols said. "We need to determine why this 11 year old took her own life."
Celina Okwuone, 11, was found by her parents a little before midnight on Thursday night.
"They went to check on her and the door was locked," said Nichols. "When they were finally able to get into the room, they found her hanging in her closet with a belt wrapped around her neck."
The belt was wrapped around a metal shelf which her mother tore from the wall while her father lifted her body.
Shortly after calling police, her parents found her diary with what Nichols were entries about being bullied.
"Inside the diary there were some entries made of her being bullied at school," Nichols said. "To the extent of what she was being bullied about is unknown at this time."
A letter from St. Anastasia Catholic School, where Oswuone attended, was sent home with students informing parents about the incident. School officials wouldn't comment, and referred all inquiries to the Diocese of Palm Beach.
A statement from the Diocese of Palm Beach said it was "saddened to learn of the untimely death of one of our students from St. Anastasia School in Ft. Pierce. We grieve with the school community of St. Anastasia and ask for prayers for the student's family as well as the school community."
The Okwuone family could not be reached for comment. No one has been charged at this time.
The girl's suicide was the latest in a spate of childhood suicides that have alarmed some over the trend, which have reportedly been exacerbated by the use of online sites like Facebook and MySpace.
On May 12, 15-year old Alex Moore jumped off a highway overpass in Alabama, and her parents have said that they believe schoolyard bullying may have contributed to her suicide.
Phoebe Prince was a 15year-old Massachusetts girl who hanged herself in January after what prosecutors called an "unrelenting" three-month bullying campaign by six teenagers.