The devastated parents of a 14-year-old girl who killed herself suddenly are begging her school to intervene in the horrendous bullying they say led to her suicide.
Ashley Scott, 14, was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers in Douglas County, an area near Denver, Colorado.
The kind-hearted young cheerleader was known for helping others, especially the homeless through her nonprofit KidsCareToo, and she appeared to be a happy and excitable teenage girl.
Her parents never expected to find her lifeless on October 23, mere minutes after they’d planned a family dinner, and hours after she’d begged them for spare change for the vending machine at cheer practice.
A month later, they remain largely in the dark about the demons she was facing.
Anne and Troy Henington suspect their daughter was bullied, but have had no indication from Ashley’s school about what was done to stop it.
And they cannot access her phone because of its passcode. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is in possession of the teen’s device and is investigating it for signs of cyberbullying.
At her memorial service, another teenage girl approached the parents, begging for help and saying she started getting bullied after Ashley passed.
‘It was just heartbreaking, it’s a tragedy,’ her mother, Anne, told Daily Mail.
Ashley Scott’s death in late October came as quite the surprise of her family, as the young teen was doing well in school, had an busy social life
Ashley died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left temple and from ‘personal stressors,’ according to autopsy report. Hours earlier, at cheer practice, she asked her parents for money for the vending machine
Ashley died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left temple, according to autopsy report, viewed by Daily Mail.
She suffered from multiple skull fractures and hemorrhages. Her manner of death was ruled a suicide.
While police are yet to reveal what they think drove Ashley to take her own life, her parents are convinced bullying is the answer, but the family still has no idea who her tormentors are.
They believe she was picked on at school, potentially by multiple students, but she’d only mentioned once that a girl at school was ‘really mean’ to her.
And since her passing, a teacher has given them a paper where she wrote about bullying and had mentioned that people needed ‘more help than her.’
It had a been a ‘red flag to the teacher,’ Anne told Daily Mail, saying that the educator had handed over the paper to them at Ashley’s celebration of life on Saturday.
But that flag went nowhere, as the school did nothing about the potential bullying and Anne believes the educational institution is not doing enough to ‘monitor’ students, especially their online activity.
Anne and Troy Henington suspect their daughter was bullied, but have had no indication from Ashley’s school about what was done to stop it
At her memorial service, another teenage girl approached the parents, begging for help and saying she started getting bullied after Ashley passed
‘It was just heartbreaking, it’s a tragedy,’ her mother, Anne, told DailyMail.com
‘The school has a duty to protect children…and the school has a duty to inform parents,’ Anne told DailyMail.com.
Ashley’s parents believe their daughter had been subjected to cyberbullying and that it was mainly happening during school hours.
Students at Rock Canyon High School use Canvas to do their homework and assignments online and the young scholars are required to have a phone or laptop to do use the platform.
‘A lot of [the bullying] was done electronically,’ Anne told DailyMail.com.
Police are now working to get warrants for the phone company and Apple to gain access to the teen’s phone, as well as working with the school and teachers to paint a clearer pictured of what happened.
‘This is still an open investigation so there isn’t anything additional we can release at this point,’ the Sheriff’s Office told Daily Mail.
Although charges have not been brought against the alleged bully or bullies, Anne and Troy would ‘absolutely’ consider pressing them to avoid another child going through the same thing, the mother told Daily Mail.
Anne has a ‘gut feeling’ that the ‘ball was dropped’ by the school when it came to protecting students from bullying.
‘[There is so much] resources and funding at that school,’ Anne said.
The kind-hearted young cheerleader was known for helping others, especially the homeless through her nonprofit KidsCareToo, and she appeared to be a happy and excitable teenage girl
Ashley inspired many with her KidsCareToo organization, which she launched as a first grader
The project began after Anne told little Ashley that they had ‘extra Christmas money’ left over one year and asked her what she wanted to do with it. Anne had expected the child to pick a Winter Wonderland activity, but little Ashley surprised her by saying she wanted to help the homeless
The school is located in a ‘very privileged’ area, where the majority of nearby homes are worth around $1.5million, the mother-of-two said.
The parents also believe Ashley felt the familiar pressures of teenagers to be without flaws.
‘I think she put a lot of pressure on herself…She had to be perfect,’ Anne recalled to DailyMail.com.
‘She cared so much about her appearance, [she] was very fashion-forward.’
Ashley would wake up at 4:30am before school just to do her hair and makeup, even though her parents insisted she was just as beautiful barefaced and with her hair thrown up in a ponytail.
‘She had to look perfect,’ Anne said.
Anne and Troy and are hoping to change that discourse by encouraging young people to start talking about their feelings and what’s really going, versus striving to always be flawless.
In response to the death, her parents launched the Ashley Isabella Scott Foundation to help children in need.
The organization’s funds will help students who are struggling by assisting teens to reach their goals both monetarily and through various services.
The parents also believe Ashley felt the familiar pressures of teenagers to be without flaws. ‘I think she put a lot of pressure on herself…She had to be perfect,’ Anne recalled
In response to the death, her parents launched the Ashley Isabella Scott Foundation to help children in need
Ashley also inspired many with her KidsCareToo effort, which she started when she was just five years old as a first-grader in Colorado Springs.
Through the organization she helped the homeless in her area by providing blankets and clothing, handing out cookies and giving out presents during the holidays.
The project began after Anne told little Ashley that they had ‘extra Christmas money’ left over one year and asked her what she wanted to do with it.
Anne had expected the child to pick a Winter Wonderland activity, but little Ashley surprised her by saying she wanted to help the homeless.
Her mother asked her to pick a number – 15 – and that’s how many bags they made the first year.
Ashley also had wanted to hand the bags out to the homeless on the street, as in Colorado unhoused people with dogs are not allowed in shelters and families are broken up by gender, so she knew they needed it most, Anne said.
Since its first year, the project has expanded beyond Colorado Springs to Pueblo, Colorado and Birmingham, Alabama.
In 2018 the then-Governor John Hickenlooper honored Ashley for her work at his State of the State address.
In 2018 the then-Governor John Hickenlooper honored Ashley for her work at his State of the State address
He said it was a shame that the then seven-year-old could not run for governor
He said it was a shame that the then seven-year-old could not run for governor.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help with their new foundation in her name and to carry on her legacy.
Ashley’s loved ones remembered her as a beautiful and fearless teen who would hug anyone on the street and bend over backward to provide help.
Ashley had a ‘bright smile’ and had a knack for bringing people together and making ‘everyone feel loved,’ her mother said of the adventurous and witty teen.
And the teen lived a lot life in just 14 years, having participated in gymnastics, cheerleading, surfing, skating, learned to play guitar, and more.
‘I would say in her 14 years, she lived more than someone who is 80,’ Anne told DailyMail.com. ‘She had no fears.’
As the Christmas season rolls in, Ashley’s spirit will remain alive as her friends and family now live by the ‘Do it for Ashley’ motto and will carry on her legacy of making everyone feel seen and loved.
