The heartbreaking loss of 10-year-old Autumn Bushman has left her family and community in mourning—and searching for answers. A fourth-grader at Mountain View Elementary School in Roanoke, Virginia, Autumn was remembered by her parents as vibrant, compassionate, and full of life. But in the weeks leading up to her death, her parents noticed subtle but troubling changes that they now wish could have been fully understood in time.
“She was the youngest and probably the wildest,”
her mother, Summer Bushman, told WDBJ.
“She was a ball full of energy. It didn’t matter if you thought she was going to fall through my living room floor. She was at it with the cartwheels inside of my house at all times.”
That brightness began to dim in the weeks before tragedy struck. Autumn started sleeping more, smiling less, and began wearing darker clothing—changes her parents now recognize as possible signs of distress. Her obituary described her as a child with
“deep empathy, a soft heart, and always ready to lend a listening ear or offer support.”
Autumn’s kind heart, however, may have made her a target. Her parents shared that she was a victim of relentless bullying—both at school and online. They say Autumn was targeted because she stood up for others.
“She was one if somebody was getting bullied or picked on, she would stand up for them,”
Summer explained.
“And unfortunately, that may have made her a target for more bullying.”
While they had reported the bullying to the school, the Bushman family feels that not enough was done to intervene.
Autumn’s father, Mark Bushman, also spoke about the added pressures children face in the digital age.
“This is an age where they have tablets and they have phones, so it’s happening around the clock. They can’t really escape,”
he said, describing the constant exposure that comes with social media.
In response to Autumn’s death, Roanoke County Public Schools issued a statement expressing their sorrow and promising a review.
“This is a tragic loss. While we cannot discuss the specifics of this situation due to federal privacy laws and out of respect for the family, we are conducting a thorough review. Our schools take all reports of bullying and conflicts among students very seriously,”
the district said.
“Our schools educate students and respond appropriately to specific situations when we are made aware, including working with parents and families of students involved.”
But for Autumn’s grieving parents, words alone cannot undo what’s been lost. Summer is urging other parents to remain vigilant, to trust their instincts, and to pay close attention to changes in their children’s moods and behaviors.
“Go through your child’s cell phone to make sure that they are being kind to other children—and to make sure children are being kind to them,”
she advised.
Autumn Bushman’s story is a devastating reminder of how deeply bullying can affect a child—and how important it is for families, schools, and communities to work together to recognize the signs before it’s too late.
Our hearts go out to Autumn’s family during this unimaginable time.