This article mentions suicide. Please take care while reading.
Heather Wyatt’s 13-year-old daughter Aubreigh Wyatt died by suicide in Sept. 2023 over alleged bullying from a group of girls at Aubreigh’s school. Since then, Heather has launched her own TikTok account where she tells Aubreigh’s story, raises suicide awareness, and speaks often about teen mental health.
But about a year after Aubreigh died, the families of the girls who allegedly bullied Aubreigh have filed a lawsuit in a Mississippi court, where the Wyatt family lives. The suit says the girls who Heather claims bullied her daughter have been subject to threats and harassment from all over the world because of Heather’s accusations. As a result of the suit, a judge ordered Heather to suspend her social media accounts, the Biloxi Sun Herald reported.
The families asked for punitive damages
The lawsuit filed by four families of teenage girls that Heather Wyatt has said bullied her daughter, alleges malice to commit slander, defamation, and negligence. The suit asks for punitive damages, legal fees, and medical and therapy bill compensation for the distress Heather’s posts caused. Aubreigh Wyatt was on antidepressants, had attempted suicide before, and claims that bullying caused Aubreigh’s decision to take her own life are unsubstantiated, the suit says.
Heather has never specifically named the girls she says bullied her daughter and shares on her accounts about more than just Aubreigh and bullying. But Aubreigh’s story has gone viral, due in no small part to Heather’s posts, and others uncovered and spread the names of the alleged bullies on social media.
Heather discovered a note from her daughter 9 months after she died
At first, Heather Wyatt said she found no note from her daughter after her suicide but before her accounts were suspended, she shared a video that she says shows her discovering a suicide note from her daughter in her belongings. Once Heather’s accounts were down, others shared portions of that clip online.
Heather also filed a lawsuit against Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, alleging cyberbullying on social media contributed to her daughter’s suicide. News that Heather was forced to suspend her social media drew a strong reaction. A Change.org petition was launched, and as of this report, it gathered around 47,000 signatures.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.