The death of an 11-year-old girl who took her own life is under investigation after her mother alleged she was bullied by classmates who taunted her over her family’s immigration status.
Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died on February 8, five days after her mother found her unresponsive at their home in Gainesville, Texas according to an online obituary.
Her funeral was held on Wednesday morning, where mourners, including many children, gathered at St. Mary Catholic Church to pay their respects.
“All week, I’ve been waiting for a miracle – waiting for my daughter to get better,” her mother, Marbella Carranza, said. “But unfortunately there was nothing that could be done.”
Carranza said her daughter was targeted at Gainesville Intermediate School, where students threatened that immigration authorities would take her parents away, leaving her alone. However, she said she had no prior knowledge that her daughter was being bullied.
“I never knew anything about that,” she said. “My daughter never showed changes. I mean, there was never anything that gave me a sign that she was suffering from bullying.”
She further claimed the school was aware of the alleged bullying but never informed her. Investigators later revealed to her that Jocelynn had been receiving counseling at school.
“It appears the school was aware of it all, but they never, they never told me what was happening with my daughter,” she said. “It appears she would go once or twice a week to counseling to report what was happening.”
The Gainesville Independent School District, which has not confirmed whether it was aware of the bullying, stated that it takes reports of bullying seriously and responds swiftly. However, another school in the district described Jocelynn’s death as a “serious accident” in an email to parents, without addressing the bullying allegations.
An investigation into the case is ongoing, with the Gainesville Independent School District Police handling inquiries into the bullying claims.
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On the day she was found, Carranza recalled arriving home as emergency responders worked to revive her daughter.
“When I got home, they were still working on her, trying to revive her, she had been without life for a long time,” she said.
Jocelynn is remembered as “a wonderful daughter, sister, niece, and friend to everyone.” At her funeral, mourners wore pastel shades in her honor, and a mariachi band played somber music from the church balcony.
“She didn’t know how to understand the things that happen in the world,” said deacon Gelasio Garcia.
Carranza, devastated by the loss, is demanding justice.
“(I want) justice because it’s not fair – the school was negligent for not keeping me informed of what was going on with my daughter,” she said.
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