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11-Year-Old London Girl Laid to Rest After Suicide

Updated: Thursday, January 31 2013, 07:52 PM EST
LONDON -- An 11-year-old central Ohio girl was laid to rest Thursday, less than a week after taking her own life.

Hailey Petee's body was discovered in her London bedroom on January 27. Her parents believe their daughter was driven to kill herself by bullying.

David Petee and Melinda Groce say Hailey was tormented by her fellow students on a school bus for more than a year because she wore glasses and suffered from ADHD. Groce said Hailey would often arrive home crying after school.

"She would come home and tell me about kids smacking her on the bus, pulling her hair, kicking her," Groce said.

The grieving mother told ABC 6/FOX 28 she contacted the school, the bus driver, and even law enforcement about the bullying -- but she never expected her daughter to take her own life.

"This is serious," Groce said. "Kids are taking their lives over this kind of stuff every day."

Friends and family packed the Church of Christ in Christian Union Thursday to remember Hailey's short life. Some of the children in attendance brought homemade posters to protest bullying.

A memorial fund has been established in Hailey's name. Contributions can be made at any PNC or Huntington Bank locations, as well as the Eberle-Fisher Funeral Home.

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Reporter: Jen French
Web Producer: Ken Hines11-Year-Old London Girl Laid to Rest After Suicide