Aubreigh Wyatt’s mom sues South MS school district over teen’s suicide, details bullying
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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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Heather Wyatt is suing the Ocean Springs School District, alleging that daughter Aubreigh Wyatt was bullied for four years, in and out of school, leading to her death by suicide at age 13.
Wyatt has filed the wrongful-death lawsuit in Jackson County Circuit Court, where she is seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damage over Aubreigh’s suicide on Sept. 4, 2023. Her death, the lawsuit says, has caused her family “immense pain, suffering and loss of companionship.”
Her mother accuses the school district, superintendent, school board and others of negligence, and violating state and federal laws aimed at protecting students from sexual assault and bullying.
“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.
Heather Wyatt, then an elementary school teacher in the district, and her daughter reported the abuse and bullying to school officials, the lawsuit says, but it never stopped.
Since her daughter’s death, the single mother with two living children has spread her story on social media, attracting a legion of followers. Conversely, she has sued social media companies over her daughter’s death and some of her supporters have lashed out at the children accused of bullying Aubreigh.
Her latest lawsuit includes 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.
In the case of the reported sexual harassment, which Aubreigh said included inappropriate touching, the lawsuit indicates other actions by the district undermined the offered support.
The school district has not yet had time to respond to the lawsuit, filed Friday. School Superintendent Michael Lindsey has previously said the school takes all reports of bullying seriously and has policies, as required by state law, to address bullying and harassment, and to punish offenders. He has said district officials can’t discuss disciplinary action taken against individual students.
Bullying started at sleepovers, lawsuit says
The Ocean Springs Police Department investigated Aubreigh’s suicide, but the case was closed without charges after a Jackson County Youth Court review. Gulfport attorney Kimberly Papania filed Wyatt’s lawsuit, describing in detail some of the incidents believed to have led to Aubreigh’s death.
Wyatt’s lawsuit says the bullying involved the same group of girls, who are identified only by their initials, and started during sleepovers when Aubreigh was in fifth grade. Two sleepovers in 2020 involved degrading videos, followed by Aubreigh being taunted when she got upset, the lawsuit says.
In March 2021, Heather Wyatt emailed staff at the upper elementary school about one of the girls hitting Aubreigh in class and constantly belittling her on social media and at school. The teachers expressed concern in followup emails, while the assistant principal said in an email that ‘the other student has received consequences for harassment.”
The lawsuit also details incidents from 2023, when Aubreigh was in middle school. She was being harassed on social media while at school, the lawsuit says.
She repeatedly asked the girls to stop harassing her, and her mother talked to their parents, the lawsuit says.
“When Aubreigh would notify teachers and administration,” the lawsuit says, “the bullying would get worse and she was called a snitch.”
Sexual assault alleged
Aubreigh also was sexually assaulted in March 2023 by a male student at Greyhound Stadium, where the schools’ football teams play, the lawsuit says. The boy grabbed her phone, demanded a kiss to return it, then touched her inappropriately, the lawsuit says.
At the time, Aubreigh filled out a sexual harassment complaint and the district offered support, including counseling.
But the lawsuit also says school officials questioned Aubreigh without her mother present, against Heather Wyatt’s stated wishes, and further “traumatized” Aubreigh by telling her that the boy’s parents “believed she was lying.”
A social media campaign of harassment against Aubreigh followed, the lawsuit said, with “Team Aubreigh” vs. “Team (Male Student)” trends on social media platforms TikTok and Snapchat.
Aubreigh decided within days to drop the sexual harassment allegations, to which her mother agreed. Aubreigh didn’t want to “ruin” the boy’s life and “wants it all to go away,” according to an email from her mother to the middle school principal.
“You have been wonderful throughout this ordeal,” Wyatt wrote. “I can’t thank you enough for your support and compassion in this situation.”
Aubreigh’s anguish is clear in a text she wrote to her mom that is also included in the lawsuit exhibits, although the date of the text is unclear. She wanted to move, she said, because nothing was going to change. The teenager added:
“I truly become so suicidal during the school year. I just want to be happy. I don’t want it to be like how it is. I know it’s hard on you. That is why I try not to say anything about it, but it’s truly draining.”
Bullying continues, lawsuit says
In the weeks before Aubreigh took her life, the lawsuit says, she continued to be bullied. Her mother found her dead in her bedroom the morning of Labor Day 2023.
Heather Wyatt took a leave of absence from her teaching job after Aubreigh’s suicide and, after returning for a short time, decided to resign. She has spoken out from the beginning about Aubreigh being bullied and some of Aubreigh’s friends even protested bullying outside the middle school.
Wyatt also has spread an anti-bullying and suicide prevention message on social media.
On TikTok, she has amassed 2.6 million followers. She has raised almost $125,000 on GoFundMe for legal fees and asked, in July 2024, that any further contributions be sent to her via Venmo or CashApp.
Although Wyatt didn’t mention that her lawsuit had been filed, she wrote Friday on Facebook:
“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.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 9:13 AM.
