Aubreigh Wyatt’s death by suicide in MS strikes a national chord. A full recap of events
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The death of Aubreigh Wyatt
The death by suicide of 13-year-old Aubreigh Wyatt has focused national attention on South Mississippi, with widespread calls for justice and anti-bullying enforcement.
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Editors note: This story will be updated as events unfold. Please read to the bottom for the most recent news.
Thirteen-year-old Aubreigh Wyatt’s death by suicide in her Ocean Springs home has built into a tsunami of public outrage in the community and on social media.
Aubreigh’s mother, Heather Wyatt, wants justice for her daughter, a sentiment echoed by many. She says Aubreigh was bullied to death, attacked at school by her tormenters and on platforms such as Snapchat.
Her story has summoned raw emotions in those who have been bullied or seen their children suffer at the hands of bullies.
Below is a recap of events in the aftermath of Aubreigh’s death and the fallout that continues today, with links to coverage included.
Aubreigh Wyatt mourned
After Aubreigh died Sept. 4, 2023, students wore suicide awareness ribbons and colors to an Ocean Springs Greyhounds football game. Her mother, older sister and younger brother walked onto the field and joined the crowd to honor her with a moment of silence.
Bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals piled up around the sign outside Ocean Springs Middle School, where Aubreigh had just started eighth grade. Students gathered for a campus protest, carrying signs and calling for an end to bullying.
One of those students was Vanessa Owens. Aubreigh’s death surfaced painful memories of being bullied in the same school system. Owens, now a young adult, bravely shared her story with the Sun Herald to encourage other children in despair and let them know life does get better.
A memorial service was held for Aubreigh at St. Paul United Methodist Church East Campus in Ocean Springs, where the straight-A student was a devoted member and found comfort in her faith.
From the start, Heather Wyatt wanted justice for her daughter. The Ocean Springs elementary school teacher and single mom started speaking out about bullying on social media and sought legal advice from Gulfport attorney Trevor Rockstadt. He told the Sun Herald in late September that his law firm was investigating the bullying.
Rockstadt said, and Wyatt later confirmed, that Aubreigh had been bullied since the fifth grade. Heather Wyatt told her attorney that said she had tried everything in her power to stop the bullying, but nothing worked.
Wyatt also used social media to call out a group, Stand for the Silent Inc., raising money in Aubreigh’s name — much to Heather Wyatt’s surprise and without her consent.
Heather Wyatt’s TikTok following grows
Heather Wyatt began posting mostly on TikTok, where her following steadily grew. In February, she posted a video saying the Ocean Springs Police Department and Jackson County Youth Court had each decided not to pursue bullying cases over Aubreigh’s death.
Wyatt was upset and said she could begin to share evidence against Aubreigh’s bullies because the investigations were over. She said the bullies included four girls and one boy.
“Aubreigh would be friends with them for a week, then they would fight for a week,” Wyatt said in the video. “It was just this big social isolation . . . Aubreigh was way too forgiving.”
In the video, Wyatt also showed a screenshot that her daughter Taylor received after Aubreigh’s death. Wyatt said the bullies were sending the screenshot around. It showed a bloody doll with a noose around its neck.
She also shared a photo of Aubreigh with a red cheek when she was in seventh grade. Aubreigh, who texted the photo to her mom, said one of the bullies had slapped her at school, Wyatt told her TikTok audience.
Wyatt then shared screenshots of a Snapchat conversation where one person apologized for hitting Aubreigh — “i really didn’t mean to hurt you i’m sorry” — and Aubreigh apologized for getting the girl in trouble.
The parents of the girl have since denied that she slapped Aubreigh.
Campaign for bullying awareness
By March, Wyatt had left her teaching job and was ready to talk about her mission to raise awareness about bullying and mental health. She talked to the Sun Herald about Aubreigh’s death, grief and about a beach gathering for what would have been Aubreigh’s 14th birthday on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.
Also in March, attorney Rockstadt filed a lawsuit over Aubreigh’s death against social media companies. The lawsuit claims Aubreigh was addicted to social media, where she was incessantly pinged with notifications and constantly checked her accounts. Her mother said she was being cyberbullied on those accounts.
A controversy erupted and spilled into public view in April at Ocean Springs Middle School. Eight students walked out and protested outside school after one of the students said she was suspended for defending Aubreigh on Facebook. The student essentially said those who bullied Aubreigh would one day “get a taste of their own medicine.”
Wyatt, alerted to the protest, filmed it on Facebook Live. She told the Sun Herald that the students felt like the suspended girl was being treated unfairly because bullies were going unpunished.
Several students at the protest said that they also had been bullied, one to the point of attempted suicide in sixth grade. School Superintendent Mike Lindsey said procedures are in place to deal with bullying and the school system is unable to share information about specific students being disciplined. Lindsey also said the school system has plans for anti-bullying education for the coming school year.
Lawsuits filed against Wyatt
The anger and turmoil over Aubreigh’s death reached new proportions after Wyatt posted a video that showed her discovering notes that she said Aubreigh left behind when she died. The Wyatts had scoured Aubreigh’s room for a note soon after her death but found nothing.
But Wyatt recently was filming herself as she packed Aubreigh’s room for a move. In a TikTok video, she wailed when she found notes from “Aubs,” one of her daughter’s pet names, to each family member and one note addressed to everyone.
The short but powerful video was inching toward 40 million views and Wyatt’s following had grown to almost 1 million when Chancery Court Judge Mark Maples ordered her to shut down her social media accounts.
Maples said he was trying to protect the minors accused of bullying Aubreigh. Their parents had filed the Chancery Court lawsuit against Wyatt in April, seeking an injunction against her. An injunction essentially asks that someone, in this case Wyatt, be ordered to do, or stop doing, something.
The first judge on the case, Ashlee Cole, sealed the case the same day it was filed, so the particulars of the parents’ request are unknown.
However, someone leaked on social media the emergency order Maples’ issued shutting down Wyatt’s social media. He’ll hold a hearing July 18 to decide if the order should remain in place, but it’s unclear whether the proceeding will be open to the public.
What is clear is that Maples’ order only served to stir up more animosity on social media toward the accused bullies. Threats have been flying.
The day after Maples issued his order, the parents of the four girls filed a second lawsuit in Circuit Court. This lawsuit accuses Heather Wyatt of slandering the girls with her bullying accusations.
The Circuit Court lawsuit is public but the Sun Herald is not naming the parents to protect the identities of the minor girls. However, their names, photos and other personal information have been spread on social media platforms. Wyatt has not personally mentioned the children’s names.
Wyatt is raising money for legal fees through a gofundme account, where she had collected more than $87,000 by Tuesday afternoon. Wyatt wrote in a Monday update to the account:
“We love you guys so much! And I just know my baby girl would be ecstatic to see how many people love her! How many people are fighting for her! I am honored to be able to share my baby girl with so many amazing people! Aubreigh’s Army (or mob as some call it ) have been such a light in this dark time! We love you all!!”
Aubreigh’s story goes national
Both Rolling Stone and The Washington Post have reported this week on Aubreigh Wyatt’s death, the first national media coverage.
The Washington Post story, published July 10, focused on the court cases filed against Heather Wyatt and Chancery Judge Maples’ decision to silence her on social media.
“The case pits a grief-stricken mother’s right to speak out against the privacy and safety of the teens she blames for her daughter’s death,” The Washington Post story says.
Rolling Stone highlighted country music singer Wyatt Flores’ homage to Aubreigh Wyatt on Wednesday evening from the Grand Ole’ Opry stage. The article noted that Aubreigh was a fan of Flores, whose grandfather died by suicide, and that one of the last videos under her name featured her singing to his viral hit, “Please Don’t Go,” imploring a loved one “not to take their life.”
Slander lawsuit dropped
The parents of four girls accused of bullying 13-year-old Aubreigh Wyatt into suicide voluntarily dismissed a slander lawsuit Tuesday afternoon that they filed July 2 against her mother, Heather Wyatt.
In the lawsuit, they said that Heather Wyatt slandered their girls by falsely claiming they bullied Aubreigh to death. Aubreigh, an Ocean Springs Middle School student, died by suicide on Labor Day.
DA has had enough
Angel Myers, district attorney for Jackson, George and Greene counties, is tired of the inaccurate information and threats she’s been subjected to on social media over the investigation into Aubreigh’s death.
People have been spreading a rumor on Facebook and other social media platforms that she can’t be impartial in the case because she is related to one of the parents whose daughter is accused of bullying Aubreigh. Myers set the record straight with this statement she shared in a Facebook post. The statement says:
For over a week, I have been bombarded with harassing messages intended to intimidate me. These messages are rooted in misinformation being shared and spread on various social media platforms related to what is perceived to be my office’s role in the investigation of the death by suicide of an Ocean Springs teenager.
First and foremost, I will not be intimidated. I have been a prosecutor for nearly 20 years. Day in and day out, I have fought to administer justice fairly and evenly without concern for politics, outside influence or pressure. My career speaks for itself.
Second, there have been false statements furthered on social media that I am a family member of a party to the litigation surrounding the teen’s suicide. That is simply untrue. While I know one of the parties through my daughter’s dance team and my former church, this has absolutely no impact on my impartiality or my ability to do my job. My daughter passed away over seven years ago, and I have not attended my former church since 2020. I am fiercely committed to the integrity of the Office of the District Attorney. I know and understand my ethical obligations and will not compromise my reputation or career in this or any other manner.
Third, my office is not an investigative agency. I am charged with prosecuting felony crimes committed by adults within my district. With respect to crimes committed by juveniles, my jurisdiction is limited to crimes that carry a potential life sentence, crimes which are committed using a deadly weapon, or crimes committed by juveniles who have been certified to the circuit court for prosecution as adults by the Youth Court. None of those situations apply to the allegations of this matter and my office, therefore, has no jurisdiction.
While the ability to communicate using social media certainly has value, I would caution everyone on those platforms to not blindly follow and believe information provided by individuals who are driven by clicks and money. Our society devours drama and, in the process, sometimes peoples’ lives, livelihood, safety and security are devoured along with it.
Road closures Thursday?
The Pascagoula Police Department announced on social media that there could be road closures Thursday, the day a Jackson County Chancery Court judge will decide whether he should continue an emergency order that shut down Heather Wyatt’s social media accounts. The post read:
Please be advised, in the interest of public safety and for the safety of peaceful protesters, on July 18, 2024, there will be a potential for road closures on Canty Street, Magnolia Street, Convent Avenue, and Watts Avenue. If this occurs, it will be during regular business hours. There will be public parking available in the area. Thank you.
The size of the crowd on Thursday, estimated at 75, did not result in any road closures.
The judge rules
Chancery Court Judge Mark Maples on Thursday afternoon reinstated the social media accounts of Heather Wyatt, who believes her 13-year-old daughter Aubreigh Wyatt was bullied into suicide.
During a hearing in Pascagoula, Maples also requested that Child Protective Services investigate the safety of all minor children involved, including Wyatt’s daughter and son, and the four girls accused of bullying Aubreigh. The results are to be turned over to the Jackson County Youth Court’s Intake Unit.
For more about Thursday’s ruling, click here.
Supporting the Wyatts
Pink shirts filled the parking lot. Mothers outraged over the death of Aubreigh Wyatt stood on hot pavement across from the Jackson County Chancery Courthouse. Women and men, young and old, held signs, filmed videos, or just stood, eyes and cameras locked on the building’s doors, because they said it was important.
“It’s a big deal,” said Liz Fields, who came from Hurley with her grandson.
“It broke my heart,” said Amy Greer, a mother from Pascagoula. “What if that had been my child?”
Nearly a year after 13-year-old Aubreigh Wyatt died by suicide, dozens gathered on Thursday outside the courthouse in Pascagoula to support her mother and wait, nervous but eager, for news from the judge inside.
To read more from the scene of Thursday’s hearing, click here.
MS man charged with threatening Wyatt case judge
Jeffery Scott Miles, 38, of Cleveland, Mississippi, has been arrested on one charge of making terroristic threats and a second count of retaliation against a public servant after allegedly threatening Judge Maples, who presided over the Chancery Court case involving Heather Wyatt.
Miles was being held without bond in the Jackson County jail after his arrest July 19. He faces up to 25 years on both charges. Miles is accused of threatening in telephone messages to harm Maples “if he didn’t issue a favorable ruling in an Ocean Springs case the judge was hearing,” according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
The day before Miles’ arrest, Maples restored the social media accounts of Heather Wyatt under specific conditions that she must follow. The conditions also apply to the parents of the girls who filed the lawsuit against her.
Heather Wyatt files new lawsuit
In February 2025, Heather Wyatt filed a wrongful-death lawsuit over Aubreigh’s suicide against the Ocean Springs School District, school board and others.
She claims in the lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, that the defendants failed to protect her daughter from bullying and, in one case, sexual abuse, in violation of federal and state laws. She’s seeking an unspecified amount to compensate for the family’s losses.
“The bullying included, but was not limited to, verbal abuse, threats, humiliation, cyberbullying, physical altercations/assault, sexual assault, being punched in the face on two occasions and social exclusion,” the lawsuit says.
It details the alleged bullying of Aubreigh over four years, beginning in mid-2020 until her death. Included are exhibits of texts, emails and screenshots about Aubreigh being allegedly bullied or assaulted, both in and out of school.
The exhibits show the district acted on the complaints, disciplining one student accused of bullying, and offering Aubreigh counseling and other support after she accused a boy of sexual harassment in March 2023.
The harassment is described in the lawsuit as sexual assault that involved inappropriate touching. The district undermined its offer of support through other actions, the lawsuit indicates.
Heather Wyatt wrote on Facebook the day the lawsuit was filed: “My purpose has always been, and will continue to be, to advocate for justice, mental health awareness, and stronger anti-bullying laws so that no family has to endure the heartbreak mine has. If that passion makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you should reflect on why.”
District moves lawsuit, wants it restricted
April 4, 2025: The school district’s lawyer has moved Heather Wyatt’s lawsuit against it to federal court because it includes allegations that the district violated Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sexual harassment and discrimination in schools.
The district’s lawyer also asked that Wyatt’s lawsuit and exhibits be sealed. The lawsuit includes initials of the minors accused of bullying or harassing minors, while the exhibits list the names of two of those students.
Wyatt’s attorney could file a motion to send the case back to state court, leaving the judge to decide where it should be heard. U.S. District Judge Taylor B. McNeel is presiding over the case.
Heather Wyatt on ‘American Idol’
Jan. 26, 2026: Heather Wyatt brought her daughter Aubreigh’s story to a national audience Monday night in the Season 24 premiere of “American Idol.”
Wyatt 15-year-old Khloe Grace, who is from Jacksonville, at her audition for the competition reality show. Grace, who did not realize Wyatt would be there, said she “went through some of the things Aubreigh went through. It was really hard. I thought if I could write something that could (in some) very small way help someone, then it’s totally worth writing this song.”
On Tuesday, Wyatt told the Sun Herald that Aubreigh would be over-the-moon ecstatic about Grace’s big performance. Aubreigh would also be 15 now.
Wyatt has gathered all her activities at Linktree, including links to a book she wrote about Aubreigh and the foundation in her daughter’s name. As for Khloe Grace, she wrote a follow-up to Forever 13. It’s called, Your Reasons to Stay.
Reality Check is a Sun Herald series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email mynews@sunherald.com.
This story was originally published July 10, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
