updated - May 18, 2013 Saturday EDT
Amanda Todd, a Vancouver-area teenager who posted a heartbreaking video on YouTube last month about her ordeal with bullies, committed suicide and was found dead on Wednesday. Following her death, a Facebook page was created, titled "R.I.P Amanda Todd" which many posted loving messages, but it has already been defamed by her bullies.
One disturbing photo uploaded to Amanda Todd's memory page shows the silhouette of a female body hanging dead along with the mocking phrase: "Todding."
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Other commenters said she deserved the negative attention that she'd received from bullies after having a topless photo posted online when she was in Grade 7.
Amanda Todd posted a video a month ago before she died where she shared the torment she went through because of being bullying. She stands in front of a camera with her face out of shot, as she shares her story via a stack of cue cards. Todd, 15, says she recalls being severely beaten by classmates and having nude photos of her circulated on the web. She entitled the video "My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self harm."
It all began in the 7th grade when she allowed a boy to take a topless photo of her via webcam and that photo haunted her at school and led to her being harassed through Facebook and shunned at school, leaving her feeling alone and suicidal. At one point she talks about harming herself and going home and drinking bleach.
Now, that very same topless photo was also posted to Amanda Todd's memorial Facebook pages.
A Facebook user with the screen name Haunter posted several doctored photos making light of the teen's suicide to draw attention to his Facebook group, where he also antagonized users by inviting them to meet him at two phoney Metro Vancouver addresses.
"Well, I expected to get a few comments about how evil I was and how I'm a horrible person, which is expected. But what I actually did get out of it surpassed my wildest expectations," Haunter told The Sun in a Facebook message. "The sheer popularity of my page skyrocketed."
"And honestly, I got a lot of enjoyment. I enjoy screwing around with people who think they're tough because they threaten physical violence to people who post pictures on Facebook," he added. "I don't think that the photo I posted is nice and I think it's very morbid, but I was well within the Facebook Terms and Conditions and my legal rights to post it."
"You want to bully. Go for it - but the RCMP has set up an account for information on people who continue to bully her and it will be my pleasure to report you," responded a Facebook user from Montreal after another user posted a doctored photo insulting Todd.
No charges have been laid regarding the bullying of Todd.
The R.I.P Amanda Todd Facebook page has over 635,000 likes and most of the comments are loving and encouraging others who are currently being bullied, to reach out and seek help and know they are not alone.
"RIP Amanda, now nobody can hurt you ever again. On the same note, we are sad, because the ones that loved you can never hug or kiss you again. Thank you for leaving such a powerful message behind, even though it wasn't on time to help you, hoping it can help others out there. RIP," reads one comment.
Watch the heart-wrenching video of Amanda Todd's story below:
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