Chloe was 13 when she took her own life at home after being relentlessly bullied on Snapchat. Now her heartbroken mum is sharing her story
“If it’s shared, I’m going to kill myself.”
This was the poignant text Chloe Walklate sent to close friends just two days before she took her own life at home after leaving school.
The 13-year-old, from Queensland, struggled with the transition from primary school to secondary school and was bullied relentlessly.
The cruel taunts followed her home via Snapchat. Then the rumors started about messages she might have sent on the platform.
Chloe died in September 2017, just three days before the end of the school year.
Chloe’s mother Sam (pictured together above) wishes her 13-year-old daughter could have spoken out about the things that worry her
Chloe Walklate took her own life in September 2017, when she was just 13 years old
Speaking to FEMAIL, her distraught mother Sam said she knew Chloe was unhappy and tried to enroll her at another school.
But she had no idea how dark her daughter’s life had really become.
In the months leading up to her death, Chloe, a gifted student with an A+ academic record, began skipping school.
Her grades dropped and she was put on a performance management program to get her back on track, but her heart wasn’t in it.
“She had an upset stomach for a week and didn’t go to school,” her heartbroken mother said.
Sam now knows that these symptoms likely reflected the intensity of Chloe’s anxiety and depression and not her gut health.
Sam had no idea of the rumors and taunts her daughter was subjected to, or of her suicidal thoughts.
Chloe went from happy and cheerful at home to withdrawn and quiet
Most of the rumors surrounding Chloe when she took her own life in September 2017 centered on Snapchat, an app known for its disappearing messages.
A Snapchat spokesperson told FEMAIL that bullying has no place on the platform and that the company continues to develop rules and resources to keep teens safe.
Messages from the young teen were apparently passed on by Chloe’s peers, leaving her feeling isolated, scared and desperate to escape.
She begged her parents for a fresh start, something they both tried to achieve by starting the enrollment process at a new school.
But Chloe’s inability to escape her bullies proved too much.
The first red flag came when Chloe missed the school bus and her grandfather took her to school.
The 13-year-old, who was once an enthusiastic student, refused to get out of the car when they arrived.
“She was a mess, so he took her to McDonald’s for a heart-to-heart,” Sam recalled.
Chloe had also opened up to a close family friend two days before she died, but the adult thought they had ‘talked her out’ so she didn’t tell Sam.
Sam wishes her daughter had come to her instead of facing her problems alone.
“I would have told her that no matter what you did, we can solve it together. Nothing is so bad that you have to deal with it yourself,” Sam said.
Sam said she would have done anything to protect her daughter and wants other young people to give their parents the chance to help.
“I know it can be scary for young people to open up to their parents, but if she did, she would still be here,” Sam said.
Chloe begged her parents to help her move before she committed suicide. They had started the process before she ended her life
The next time Chloe skipped school would be her last.
Sam got the call that she hadn’t caught the bus, but since it was the last Wednesday of the school year, she and her husband decided to let Chloe stay home.
“The last time I talked to her I told her she had to catch up on her outstanding school assignments,” Sam said.
She met resistance, but thought they had decided to go old school with everything up to date.
But when Sam couldn’t reach Chloe a few hours later, she panicked.
‘I went home. It was very different for her not to answer the phone. I was hoping to find her on her horse,” she said.
The teenager wanted to become a veterinarian and loved her pets. But she wasn’t with the horses.
The youngster skipped school on the day she committed suicide
“I saw her as soon as I pulled into the driveway,” the devastated mother explained.
She had to keep pulling into the driveway, even though she knew what she would find when she got there.
‘She had been dead for two and a half hours. I shouted and a neighbor came. “We knew it was too late but we tried to revive her,” she said.
A full picture of Chloe’s mental health emerged in the weeks after her death.
The police were called in to investigate and friends and family came to Sam with clues that seemed mundane at the time but were significant in retrospect.
She had sent friends the ominous text: “If it’s shared, I’m going to kill myself.”
She had even decorated the back of her school diary with graffiti about death – something Sam would have liked to see before it was too late.
“It still upsets me when I see it,” the mother said.
Chloe had also spoken to loved ones about funeral arrangements and what she might like.
‘She did it so casually. I had a recent death of grandparents and an aunt, so I thought it was just her talking about it,” Sam said.
The distraught mother has spoken out about her daughter’s death to help prevent further tragedies Lifeline ‘Giving Day’ on May 30.
Eight Australians die by suicide every day and it remains the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44.
The impact of one suicide is felt by up to 135 people: their family, colleagues, friends and neighbors.
If you or a loved one needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14