Louisville mom speaks out after 12-year-old son dies by suicide after years of bullying

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville woman is sharing her heartbreak and a powerful message to other parents after her 12-year-old son died by suicide this week.

Audra Upshaw said her son, Silas Pollock, was full of life, a kid who loved soccer and parkour who, in her words, "didn't live by anybody's rules or anybody's standards."

"He was the life of everything," Upshaw said.

But behind his vibrant personality was a daily struggle, one his mother said stemmed from relentless bullying at Farnsley Middle School.

"He's 12 and my son thought that the only way out was suicide," Upshaw said. "As a parent, how am I supposed to live with that?"

Upshaw said Silas endured years of bullying and that it was no secret to the school or those around him.

"It was incessant. It was all the time," she said. "I've had so many people reach out and say that they've seen something. I've had people reach out and say those same bullies laughed when they found out."

A letter sent to families by Farnsley Middle School acknowledged Silas' death and called him a student who had a "profound and positive impact on others." The letter also said counselors would be available to support students.

But to Upshaw and those who loved Silas, it's not enough.

"They knew what was happening to my son," she said. "It was the same group of kids. It didn't switch up. Most kids loved my son. Was he always perfect? No. But he didn't deserve to get beat on every day."

Family friend Candis Robinson said more accountability is needed.

"Somebody has to step in, because it won't just be him especially when these kids are just up the next day like they did nothing," Robinson said. "Somebody needs to be held accountable."

Silas is one of two people under the age of 18 to die by suicide this year in Louisville, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. In total, police said 51 people have died by suicide in the city so far this year — six of them under the age of 25.

"Hard to believe that it's my reality — and why?" Upshaw said. "How are we here? I expect him to come barging in the door, talking about something goofy with his game. But instead, I have to call funeral homes."

She said her son's death underscores the importance of open conversations and monitoring the impact of social media, where bullying often follows children home.

"As parents, we have to do better teaching our kids the damage that bullying can cause," she said. "Because now, me and everybody that loved this kid, we have to live in a world where he doesn't exist anymore. And that's not OK."

Silas' family is sharing their grief in hopes no other parent has to endure this kind of pain. To help the family with funeral expenses, click here.

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