Amanda Todd tribute pages haunted by bullies amid police probe

Canadian Press | Oct 14, 2012 11:01 AM ET | Last Updated: Oct 14, 2012 2:31 PM ET
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Facebook A Facebook memorial page set up for B.C. teen Amanda Todd has received 518,000 "likes", but some people have posted hateful comments. 

 

VANCOUVER — In life, Amanda Todd feared she was all alone; in death, she has captured the attention of people from around the world, focusing a spotlight on the plight of those who continue to face down the torments of bullies. Meanwhile, the bullying that the B.C. teen said drove her to suicide, has continued online even after her death.

The RCMP announced Saturday that more than 400 tips from around the globe have poured into an email account, set up after the apparent suicide of the 15-year-old Port Coquitlam, B.C. teen.

Meantime, media from around the world, including online publications in England, the United States, Australia and Asia, have picked up the tragic tale.

“At this point, we’ve got upwards of 20 to 25 full-time investigators that are working on this to try to gain enough information and enough evidence to potentially lay charges against any individual or individuals that may have played a role here in some way,” said Sgt. Peter Thiessen.
At the beginning of September, Todd posted a nine-minute video on YouTube, and through hand-written notes, she explained what happened after she exposed her breasts on a webcam to an unidentified man.

YouTube

 

The images ended up being sent to family and friends, and she described how she suffered anxiety, major depression and turned to drugs and alcohol and even tried to kill herself twice.
The video ends with her note: “I have nobody. I need someone.”

In the video she is seen holding up cards narrating her story, with one towards the end saying, “Every day I think why am I still here.” Kids at her school were well aware of her despair, and yet many of them teased her further, egging her on to suicide.

Even after her death, people continue to torment the teen. More than 15 online memorials have been set up for Todd on Facebook, one with more than 500,000 “likes”. But along with messages offering condolences for Todd’s family, former classmates and strangers have posted hateful comments and offensive images.

One Facebook user uploaded a photo of Todd that had been made to look like a Zombie holding a bottle of bleach with the message: “I hope they sell Clorox in Hell.”
Others said Todd should not be getting positive or negative attention.


“It’s bad that people commit suicide, but I don’t see what makes this girl special…. She seems like the kind of person that committed suicide because she was lazy,” another user wrote.
The BC Coroners Service has said preliminary indications suggest Todd took her own life last Wednesday.

On Friday, the RCMP set up an email account so people could submit tips — amandaTODDinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Thiessen said by Saturday investigators had received more than 400 tips from around the globe, and police are encouraging the public to provide even more information.
Investigators are prioritizing those tips and are trying to determine which ones need to be acted on first, said Thiessen.

He said police are also asking individuals to stop posting inappropriate and hurtful comments and images online that continue to re-victimize the Todd family and others.

He said police are even getting complaints from young girls and adults because of those images.
“They’re being impacted by it and they’re quite emotional discussions that we’re having from these people that are calling us,” he said.