SOPHIA, WV (WVVA) – A West Virginia family is reeling after a 9-year-old boy took his own life.
Family and friends say Jackson Grub, a third grader, felt that death was his only escape after facing relentless bullying at school.
Jackson’s grandmother and guardian, Betsy Baber, said she noticed a change in his demeanor a few weeks ago.
“I was spending time with him, trying to get it out of him,” she told WVVA. “But Jack’s the type that holds things in and I couldn’t get to him.”
Baber said he usually stood up for himself when he was bullied, but it seemed like the fight had gone out of him recently. She also said he had built a clubhouse outside their home just hoping to make a friend.
“Some kids can talk, some kids can’t,” she said. “Jack was the kind that didn’t like to talk. He didn’t want to look little. These kids need to know that there’s nothing wrong with being little, it’s being able to tell these kids that they’re being mean. And it needs to stop.”
Jackson’s sister was the one who made the horrific discovery. She had gone into his room to cheer him up, but found him dead.
Jackson’s family said he was dealing with bullies right outside their home and having problems at school.
Counselor Hamlet Smith said Jackson wasn’t alone in his struggle with bullying.
“We all get caught up in the mundane things in life, everything that we have to accomplish that we forget to take time four our kids,” he said. “And every parent needs to hug their child tonight.”