Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, age 11, killed herself in Texas on February 8, leaving her family in ruins. According to her mother, Jocelynn endured ongoing abuse from classmates who teased her and implied that her family was not lawfully in the country.
The investigation into her untimely demise is also revealing the horrible taunts she suffered at school. Her distressed mother hopes that Jocelynn’s tale will help people understand the serious repercussions of bullying and the urgent need for change.
A Texas family was shocked when 11-year-old Jocelyn Rojo Carranza passed away by suicide after allegedly being tormented at school. Marbella Carranza, Jocelyn’s distressed mother, claimed that classmates’ mockery of her family’s illegal status left her feeling powerless.
According to reports, Jocelyn Rojo Carranza was bullied at Gainesville Intermediate School all the time. Jocelyn’s classmates, according to Carranza, teased her family’s immigration status and even threatened to call ICE.
“They said they were going to call immigration to take her parents away, leaving her all alone,” Carranza alleged to CNN station KUVN. Marbella made no mention of her family’s immigration status. “It seems the school knew about everything, but they never — they never told me what was happening with my daughter,” Carranza told the newspaper. “It appears that she would go to counseling once or twice a week to report what was happening.”
In a statement to KUVN, the Gainesville Independent School District did not precisely address whether they were aware that Jocelynn Rojo Carranza was being bullied. They emphasized their responsiveness to such incidents by saying, “Whenever we receive a report of bullying, we respond swiftly to ensure all students are safe physically and emotionally.” The district went on to emphasize its attempts to address bullying by saying, “Our schools have several policies in place to combat bullying and resolve conflicts, even though we cannot release any information about specific students or incidents.” Carranza declared, “[I want] justice because it’s unfair — the school was negligent in not informing me of my daughter’s situation.”
Jocelyn was found unconscious in the family’s Gainesville home on February 3. Despite efforts to save her, the girl passed away five days later. As she was laid to rest on Wednesday, her loved ones lamented the heartbreaking loss of a young life stolen too soon.
During the service, the sense of hopelessness permeated the air as the mariachi band, situated on the church balcony, played a sorrowful song. The same church where Jocelynn had been baptized eleven years prior covered the casket with a white cloth and placed a crucifix on top of it. Church deacon Gelasio Garcia stated during the funeral, “She didn’t know how to understand the things that happen in the world.”
Jocelynn was a cherished niece, sister, daughter, and friend to everyone who knew her, according to her obituary. She cherished spending time with her family, whether it was getting her nails done with her grandma or enjoying “movie night Fridays” with her loved ones. She also loved dancing and swinging.
In a moving remembrance of Jocelynn, the Cooke County Boys & Girls Club expressed their “deep sadness” over her passing. They offered a vital message: “Her story is a reminder to always be kind because you never know what someone is going through.”
