Girl, 13, commits suicide after being cyber-bullied by neighbour posing as teenage boy

 

Last updated at 20:37pm on 18th November 2007 Comments

A 13-year-old girl committed suicide after falling victim to cyber bullying by an adult neighbour who pretended to be a teenage boy.

Megan Meier believed she had been instant messaging with a "cute" boy she had met over the social networking site MySpace.

She struck up a friendship with "Josh" and the pair exchanged dozens of messages.

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Teenager Megan Meiers hung herself after being bullied online

 

But what she didn't know was Josh was the fake named used by a female neighbour who lived in the same street in the town of Dardenne Praire, Missouri.

When Josh told her he didn't want to be her friend and called her a "liar and slut" she became depressed.

Her father Ron found her hanging by a cord inside her wardrobe the day after her online friendship ended.

Police who later examined Megan's computer found a message in which "Josh" told her the world would be a better place without her.

The incident took place a year ago but her parents Ron and Tina decided to go public with their loss in a bid press for new laws to govern the internet.

Grieving Tina Meier said she doesn't think anyone involved intended for her daughter to kill herself.

But she is demanding answers why the neighbour - who even attended her daughter's funeral before being unmasked - would carry out such a fraud.

The woman who created the fake profile has not yet been charged with a crime.

She told police she created Josh's profile because she wanted to gain Megan's confidence to know what the teenager was saying about her own child online.

Tina said her daughter had suffered from depression and had previously been bullied at school.

Even though at 13 she was a year under the age limit to open a MySpace account they allowed her to sign up to the popular social networking site.

They had attempted to monitor her online activity in the month before she committed suicide.

Tina said she received a message from a "Josh Evans" requesting to join her circle of online friends.

Tina said Megan didn't know Josh but said he was a "hot" 16 year old and she agreed.

Tina said: "When adults are involved and continue to screw with a 13-year-old, with or without mental problems, it is absolutely vile.

"Why would someone want to do that. Why would an adult pose as a child and talk to them for a month. We just can't understand it."

Officials in Dardenne Prairie now plans to pass a law to outlaw cyber-bullying.

"People are just totally shocked.They can't believe that an adult would have done this," said the town's mayor, Pam Fogarty.

thats messed up

I heard about this good week and more ago.

 

I saw an Interview with the girls friend next door about how he went over to try and help with CPR.

 

Was pretty sad.

:( that sucks.

 

i can't imagine how her dad felt.