13-year-old Boy Kills Self Inside School Bathroom After 'Terrible' Bullying, Says Mother

A 13-year-old boy from North Carolina ended his life inside a middle school bathroom in Wendell due to terrible bullying, the teen's mother said.

Wendell Middle school notified the parents Tuesday that all students would be released at 10:45 a.m. due to a "medical crisis on campus." Later that day, officials announced that an eighth grader identified as Austin Pendergrass was found dead inside the school, but the cause of death was not revealed.

"It is an unexpected loss, and we are saddened by it. Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to his family and his friends," Principal Catherine Trudell in an email to families, ABC 11 reported.

The teen's grieving mother, Jessica Pendergrass, said Wednesday that the officials, too, were aware of her son being bullied at school, and that she felt powerless.

"Unfortunately it just got to the point where bullying overtook him," Jessica said.

Austin reportedly tried to harm himself last week and the school officials had sent a link to sign him up for virtual school.

"I really hope that this can bring some awareness to other parents to check on their kids, be mean, go through their social media, go through their phones and find out what's going on. And just hug your kids a little tighter," the heartbroken mother said during her son's memorial balloon release in Knightdale, news outlet WRAL reported.

"While this is the worst possible thing I can imagine, I just want to tell parents, 'check on your kids'. The signs were there but the bullying, it was so bad. Just teach your kids to be kind because kids can be so cruel," she added.

Austin's family remembers him as a sweet kid who loved animals. "He was so, so smart; he was so sweet. He'd always come to the car when I pulled up. 'Mom you need help bringing anything in?'" his mother recollected.

There was no response from the school on the bullying claim at the time of writing. Meanwhile, the school officials said support resources from the student services team and the District Crisis Team would be available to help students.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.