Texas girl, 11, died by suicide; her parents say she was bullied with threats of ICE
A vigil is planned for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza on Saturday. Her family wants accountability and an investigation into what led to her death.
By Marcela Rodrigues and Maria Salette Ontiveros
Staff Writers
Feb. 21, 2025
|
Updated 6:19 p.m. CST
The family of a Texas girl who died by suicide is demanding accountability from her school district, saying the 11-year-old was bullied by classmates who threatened to call immigration agents on her parents.
A vigil for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza is planned for 5 p.m. on Saturday in Gainesville.
Jocelynn died in Dallas on Feb. 8, according to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office, which ruled her death a suicide. Her family said she spent five days in the hospital before her death.
Her mother, Marbella Carranza, told Univision that Jocelynn was bullied for having Hispanic parents. Classmates told the 11-year-old they’d call Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take away her parents, Carranza said.
It was only after Jocelynn attempted to take her own life that Carranza said she learned from a counselor that her daughter reported being bullied.
“It was negligence of the school to not tell me what was going on with my daughter,” Carranza told the television network. “The school was aware of this, but they never told me.”
School district officials declined to comment but issued a written statement. In a radio interview with KGAF, Gainesville ISD Superintendent DesMontes Stewart said the school wasn’t aware of the bullying described by the family.
“There was no active bullying report filed with GISD,” Stewart said. “We had no idea.”
Stewart said Jocelynn was attending a “group to help with coping skills” but “that was nothing related to bullying.”
Ernest Rojo, Jocelynn’s father, told The Dallas Morning News in a text message that the family wants an investigation to understand what happened.
“I think someone had something to do with it,” he wrote in Spanish.
He described his daughter as someone full of love who wanted to be a dancer. Family pictures posted on social media show her holding a French horn, dancing with her dad and his family. She would not have had the idea to hurt herself on her own, her father added. He urged families to be watchful of their children to ensure they are not in danger.
It was only after Jocelynn’s death that other students told school administrators about the bullying she experienced, Stewart said.
“We found out in that particular moment that there was indeed some ongoing bantering and issues back and forth,” he said.
Some students were identified and are subject to the school’s code of conduct. He added the district has a protocol that includes making the parents aware of bullying once reported.
Elias Rojo Rodriguez, Jocelynn’s uncle, told The News the family wants to speak about the girl’s life to prevent bullying from turning deadly.
“We want this to stop so that there is no more bullying in schools and that the tragedy we are living through doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Jocelynn was a sixth grader at Gainesville Intermediate in a city that borders Oklahoma, about 70 miles northwest of Dallas.
In a letter to parents on Feb. 12, Stewart said a student had died but did not identify the girl.
“Our heart goes out to the student’s family during this difficult time,” Stewart said. “This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns and questions for our entire school, especially our students.”
Stewart said in the letter that school personnel are available to help students understand and cope with loss.
After attempting to take her own life on Feb. 3., Jocelynn spent five days in a Dallas hospital, according to a GoFundMe page her father created asking for community support.
Rojo urged others to speak out against bullying, racism and discrimination.
“For a better world, I forgive the person who caused it … because I am no one to judge,” he wrote to The News in Spanish. “And in this life, I don’t want to be responsible for another family losing their loved one.”
Mental health experts say the reasons people attempt suicide are complex, and, among younger children, it is often impulsive.
“They may be associated with feelings of sadness, confusion, anger or problems with attention and hyperactivity,” according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Bullying and feelings of hopelessness are risk factors for suicide among children and adolescents, according to the academy.
Many children in Texas face bullying for being Hispanic since the start of the current political climate, said Leti Cavazos, a therapist and founder of the Cannenta Center — a mental health center with multiple locations in the state.
Cavazos said she has observed this bullying become more prevalent as President Donald Trump focuses on mass deportations. In recent weeks, the nationwide crackdown on immigration has been widely reported on news channels.
“Kids that are American-born are being asked if they’re citizens. And they’re coming home and questioning their parents, ‘Am I a citizen? Am I going to get taken away?’” Cavazos said.
There’s widespread fear and anxiety about potential immigration raids, she said.
One way to support children is to limit their access to news and social media, said Denise Delgado, a therapist from Cannenta Center.
“What can be done in order to help prevent these signs is to validate the emotions,” Delgado said. “We want to make sure that our children feel heard, that their emotions are being validated, that they’re not the only ones within this family dynamic experiencing this.”
Mental Health Resources:
Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line: Grant Halliburton Foundation initiative that connects North Texans with mental health resources customized to each caller. 972-525-8181 or HereForTexas.com.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24-hour crisis hotline at 800-273-8255. Confidential online chat is available at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
(Watch bunch of mafukkas with kids of their own come in and say some hateful shyt)
A vigil is planned for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza on Saturday. Her family wants accountability and an investigation into what led to her death.
By Marcela Rodrigues and Maria Salette Ontiveros
Staff Writers
Feb. 21, 2025
|
Updated 6:19 p.m. CST
The family of a Texas girl who died by suicide is demanding accountability from her school district, saying the 11-year-old was bullied by classmates who threatened to call immigration agents on her parents.
A vigil for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza is planned for 5 p.m. on Saturday in Gainesville.
Jocelynn died in Dallas on Feb. 8, according to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office, which ruled her death a suicide. Her family said she spent five days in the hospital before her death.
Her mother, Marbella Carranza, told Univision that Jocelynn was bullied for having Hispanic parents. Classmates told the 11-year-old they’d call Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take away her parents, Carranza said.
It was only after Jocelynn attempted to take her own life that Carranza said she learned from a counselor that her daughter reported being bullied.
“It was negligence of the school to not tell me what was going on with my daughter,” Carranza told the television network. “The school was aware of this, but they never told me.”
School district officials declined to comment but issued a written statement. In a radio interview with KGAF, Gainesville ISD Superintendent DesMontes Stewart said the school wasn’t aware of the bullying described by the family.
“There was no active bullying report filed with GISD,” Stewart said. “We had no idea.”
Stewart said Jocelynn was attending a “group to help with coping skills” but “that was nothing related to bullying.”
Ernest Rojo, Jocelynn’s father, told The Dallas Morning News in a text message that the family wants an investigation to understand what happened.
“I think someone had something to do with it,” he wrote in Spanish.
He described his daughter as someone full of love who wanted to be a dancer. Family pictures posted on social media show her holding a French horn, dancing with her dad and his family. She would not have had the idea to hurt herself on her own, her father added. He urged families to be watchful of their children to ensure they are not in danger.
It was only after Jocelynn’s death that other students told school administrators about the bullying she experienced, Stewart said.
“We found out in that particular moment that there was indeed some ongoing bantering and issues back and forth,” he said.
Some students were identified and are subject to the school’s code of conduct. He added the district has a protocol that includes making the parents aware of bullying once reported.
Elias Rojo Rodriguez, Jocelynn’s uncle, told The News the family wants to speak about the girl’s life to prevent bullying from turning deadly.
“We want this to stop so that there is no more bullying in schools and that the tragedy we are living through doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Jocelynn was a sixth grader at Gainesville Intermediate in a city that borders Oklahoma, about 70 miles northwest of Dallas.
In a letter to parents on Feb. 12, Stewart said a student had died but did not identify the girl.
“Our heart goes out to the student’s family during this difficult time,” Stewart said. “This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns and questions for our entire school, especially our students.”
Stewart said in the letter that school personnel are available to help students understand and cope with loss.
After attempting to take her own life on Feb. 3., Jocelynn spent five days in a Dallas hospital, according to a GoFundMe page her father created asking for community support.
Rojo urged others to speak out against bullying, racism and discrimination.
“For a better world, I forgive the person who caused it … because I am no one to judge,” he wrote to The News in Spanish. “And in this life, I don’t want to be responsible for another family losing their loved one.”
Mental health experts say the reasons people attempt suicide are complex, and, among younger children, it is often impulsive.
“They may be associated with feelings of sadness, confusion, anger or problems with attention and hyperactivity,” according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Bullying and feelings of hopelessness are risk factors for suicide among children and adolescents, according to the academy.
Many children in Texas face bullying for being Hispanic since the start of the current political climate, said Leti Cavazos, a therapist and founder of the Cannenta Center — a mental health center with multiple locations in the state.
Cavazos said she has observed this bullying become more prevalent as President Donald Trump focuses on mass deportations. In recent weeks, the nationwide crackdown on immigration has been widely reported on news channels.
“Kids that are American-born are being asked if they’re citizens. And they’re coming home and questioning their parents, ‘Am I a citizen? Am I going to get taken away?’” Cavazos said.
There’s widespread fear and anxiety about potential immigration raids, she said.
One way to support children is to limit their access to news and social media, said Denise Delgado, a therapist from Cannenta Center.
“What can be done in order to help prevent these signs is to validate the emotions,” Delgado said. “We want to make sure that our children feel heard, that their emotions are being validated, that they’re not the only ones within this family dynamic experiencing this.”
Mental Health Resources:
Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line: Grant Halliburton Foundation initiative that connects North Texans with mental health resources customized to each caller. 972-525-8181 or HereForTexas.com.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24-hour crisis hotline at 800-273-8255. Confidential online chat is available at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
(Watch bunch of mafukkas with kids of their own come in and say some hateful shyt)
