Aubreigh Wyatt’s death by suicide in MS strikes a national chord. A full recap of events

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 almost 10 months ago 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.”

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.