After 8th grade girl takes her own life, her brother and best friend have a message

By A.J. Bayatpour

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    WATERTOWN, Wisconsin (WDJT) — On her third day of the eighth grade, Hailey Gabrielson took her own life. Her older brother, Jordon, remembers the school resource officer taking him out of class at Watertown High School last Thursday.

The officer took Jordon to Riverside Middle School to pick up his younger brother, and from there, they went home.

“My dad told me my sister committed suicide, and I broke down,” Jordon, 15, recalled. “At first, I was like, it can’t be true.”

It was true. Hailey, 13, was found dead inside the family’s home. She also attended Riverside, but after dealing with bullying that worsened in 7th grade, the family hoped a switch to online learning would improve Hailey’s mental health.

Jordon said Hailey had ups and downs last week. Wednesday, he described her as being a good mood, laughing and talking to friends. Thursday morning, she appeared to be feeling down, but Jordon didn’t notice anything particularly different and said he had no reason to believe it’d be the last time he saw Hailey.

“I don’t know why,” he said. “I really don’t know.”

Avah Trasher, 13, said Hailey was her best friend. Thrasher said the two did not talk as often since she moved to Kenosha, but to this day, she said her all-time favorite memory was with Hailey.

“We had a dance party, and we dressed up in some costumes and we played music,” Thrasher recalled. “We danced around, and it was super fun.”

Thrasher described Hailey as honest and expressive. Unfortunately, both Avah and Jordon said they believed Hailey became a target because she always showed her emotion. They suggested others would purposely push Hailey’s buttons because they knew she’d react strongly.

“They definitely tried getting a reaction out of her,” Thrasher said. “I think that they wanted to do it to make her upset and make her feel unwelcome.”

Jordon said he saw first-hand how quick Hailey was to let anyone know she wasn’t happy about something.

“I guess some people think it’s funny when you pick on someone,” Jordon said. “And their temper gets- they have a big temper, and they get angry quick.”

Hailey’s death has shaken this town with a population of about 23,000. People in and around Watertown have rallied around the Gabrielsons. A GoFundMe page launched by a family friend had raised more than $18,000 as of Tuesday night.

Porfirio Madrid, who bought Schuett’s on East Main last fall, said he was dedicating 100% of the hamburger and ice cream stand’s profits this weekend to the family.

“Even though I don’t know the family, it’s still in our hometown,” Madrid said. “This is part of the community. These are people who support me, and I think in that support, I feel a responsibility to also support them, as well.”

Madrid said he also felt a personal connection to Hailey’s story because his nephew died by suicide at the age of 21. He also has an 8-year-old daughter and thought of how she’ll soon need to understand the challenges of navigating adolescence.

“My heart goes out to them, to their family, and if there’s ever anything they need during this time, I’m here,” he said. “I’m here for them, and they’ve got a whole town supporting them, as well.”

A spokesperson for the Watertown Unified School District said the district was saddened by Hailey’s death and is making resources available to grieving students.

“Upon learning of this tragedy, the Watertown Unified School District extended our deepest condolences and love to this student’s family, friends and classmates,” the statement read. “The District deployed services and support to all students and staff affected by this loss, and continues to support members of our WUSD family as we navigate through this incredibly tough period.”

The statement urged any students struggling with grief or any other challenges to reach out to the district’s mental health coordinator, Kenda Roman.

Whenever a person loses a loved one to suicide, it’s only natural to question if there’s something they should have noticed or done differently. That was the case for both Jordon and Avah.

“I wish I could’ve found her number [after moving to Kenosha], so I could talk to her and figure out what she was going through,” Avah said. “And see how she was feeling.”

Jordon questioned whether he should’ve stayed home from school Thursday to be with his sister, even though he had no reason to believe he needed to.

“It’s hard to think about because I tried to show her love,” Jordon said. “I tried to convince her not everyone hates her.”

Both teens have lots of questions, but they are certain other young people should not hesitate to tell someone if they’re having the same thoughts Hailey had.

“Please ask someone. It doesn’t need to be your mom or dad,” Jordon said. “It can be your teacher. It can be a friend. It can be anyone, like, someone will help you. I promise you.”

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