Traumatised boy, 8, killed himself just two days after being ‘battered unconscious by a bully’… so why did his school claim he’s simply fainted?
Gabriel 'Gabe' Taye was found hanging in his bedroom by his distraught mum hours after coming home from school
AN eight-year-old boy killed himself just two days after being bullied at school, his family's lawyers claim.
Gabriel 'Gabe' Taye was found hanging in his bedroom by his devastated mum Cornelia Reynolds hours after coming home from school on January 26.
According to police records, Gabe was beaten unconscious in the loo at Carson Elementary School in Ohio - two days before the youngster took his own life.
Initially, school officials allegedly told the boy's mother he simply fainted.
Surveillance footage, which has not been released publicly, purports to show a boy punching and assaulting other students before Gabe walked in.
The video is said to show Gabe being attacked before he is left lying on the ground unconscious for more than seven minutes, until a staff member and a school nurse came to his aid.
Jennifer Branch, the family lawyer, told : "He actually attempts to shake the assailant's hand, and the assailant pulled him forward and slammed him into the wall, and he is knocked unconscious for seven-and-a-half minutes."
MOST READ IN NEWS
Carson Elementary School said it had received no reports of bulling that year before the alleged attack.
The school says the events in the video have been "characterised" by police and the media - and have refused to release the footage.
Branch said cops saw the video and labelled it "alarming" and "bullying" in a report.
She said Gabe ended up vomiting later that night, so his mother took him to the hospital and was told that he likely had the stomach flu.
He missed school on January 25 but went returned on January 26.
Recalling the tragic moment, distraught Ms Reynolds told : "I was in the living room at the kitchen table, and I went back to check on my son and I found him hanging."
Ms Reynolds only learned of the bullying after lawyers obtained a police investigative file.
She admitted there weren't many clues her son was being bullied and has warned other parents to be alert for signs.
She said: "I guess he didn't know how to tell me stuff was happening. Him going to the nurse's station or him not wanting to go to school, that was his way of trying to communicate with me. That was his way.
"He probably didn't want to say, 'Ma, somebody's bullying or picking on me,' you know? He just didn't know how to tell me."
The family lawyer says Ms Reynolds is devastated that her son's last day was so painful and is calling for justice.
Branch added: "She couldn't protect him, and now she wants to know what was really going on."
His mum is hoping other parents and students might come forward with more information.
A was set up for Ms Reynolds to help with funeral costs and support which raised nearly £5,500.
The Sun Online has contacted Carson Elementary School for further comment.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123 or 020 7734 2800.