Warning: This article deals with suicide and contains details – included by family request – that may be disturbing to some readers.
Laurenta and Randall Colombe say their daughter Marietta Star was an easygoing, loving child.
“She was very kind and obedient,” says the girl’s mom. “She listened. I always considered her my little helper.”
“It didn’t take much to make her happy,” says her dad.
That is, until recently. The Colombes say their 11-year-old started sleeping more, didn’t want to shower or take care of herself and tried to avoid school.
They say she was being bullied.
“It’s just stupid how society is. The way they you’re supposed to look or how you’re supposed to act,” says the girl’s father, her mother adding that she was picked on for her hair and clothes.
Randall Colombe says he went to the north-end elementary school Maurietta attended.
“I (said) my daughter doesn’t like being picked on and being bullied what are you guys going to do about this,” he says. “Nothing was ever done.”
On Feb. 4, he was finishing at work while his wife took their eldest of seven kids to get a cake for his 18th birthday.
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Marietta was left home with siblings and seemed excited there would be cake later.
Laurenta and her eldest returned home two hours later to the unimaginable.
Marietta was found in a room in the basement with a rope around her neck tied to joist.
“Her face was cold and I just gently laid her down and I started CPR,” says her mom. Paramedics couldn’t save the girl.
Winnipeg police found a crumpled note in Marietta’s pillow case and the family has since found drawings depicting the girl’s torment at school.
“That’s pressure, a lot of pressure for a little 11-year-old,” says her grandmother, Freda Moose. “My baby’s gone. It’s so heartless — it’s cruel. Bullying is cruel to death.”
The family is sharing their grief in hopes that schools and parents will do more to stop bullying.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what we’re going through,” Laurenta says. Marietta was the middle of seven children, each now grappling with their sister’s death.
The Winnipeg School Division has conflict resolution and mediation protocols in schools but did not say if those were followed in this matter.
The division told Global News this is a “heartbreaking loss” and intensive clinical services have been provided for staff and students at the school.
Anti-bullying advocates say there’s more to be done.
“We have to continue to have the conversation with kids,” says Carolyn Tuckwell, an anti-bullying advocate with the Boys and Girls Club.
“Help kids understand that really how we interact with each other can have such a positive influence in the world, or it can have a completely negative influence in the world.”
Something the Colombes know too well.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7. Call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Crisis Helpline.
Both my kids were bullied through their elementary school years and the methodology was to “ walk away” from the bully. It was agonizing….. switching schools, quitting our lowest paying job to home school, and sacrificing life’s little extras so one of us could ensure our children’s success.
It worked out for us, but the cost was huge.
Not sure what we would have done if the situation became helpless?
School philosophy seems unable to change.
I believe there is more to this story than being told. My kids were bullied in school because of their color & who they are but we made it through. So what is really going on here?
This is the same reporter that used Crystal Semaganis’s claims that singer ISKWE was a pretendian without fact checking that she is in fact an MMF citizen causing her to face online bullying, slander, and libel. At the time she worked for APTN and when people complained, Melissa started working for Global. The pattern of failing to fact check continues at Global. This is a breach of ethics in journalism and I call Global to take action before more people who are subjected to bullying take their lives. The media, in particular, Global should not participate in harming Indigenous people.
Very sad. What sadder is that? Melissa Ridgen was given the job of reporting this story. It lacks compassion for what this family is going through. I guess If it’s not calling out a pretendian it just doesn’t matter.
This is the same reporter that supports this sort of behaviour among adults. Melissa Ridge is a Crystal Semaganis aka Christine Cameron aka Michelle Cameron supporter who has been wrong several times when calling out what she considers pretendians. Crystal is currently being sued for $500,000 for defamation. This sort of bully behaviour then trickles down in our youth.
I’m not sure if the school did nothing due to her being Indigenous? The school she went to has ALOT of Indigenous children. Schools are overwhelmed with unruly children and their hands are tied in many areas. But , that being said…they have NO excuse for not addressing her Father’s concerns ASAP…NO excuse at all. They should be held accountable yes!!!
This is terrible. My heart goes out to her parents and family. 🙏🏼 So young
The parents need to sue the school and the families of the bullies. The school knew this child was being bullied but chose to ignore it b/c the child was indigenous and of no consequence to society. Everyone should be outraged. This is unacceptable