The Story Behind the Emma Christmas Eve Suicide Over a Facebook Status Update

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Stories are swirling over a girl named Emma who allegedly committed suicide on Christmas eve, 2008, as the result of some Facebook status update messages aimed at her. The status update messages directed at “Emma” are indeed horrible (see image below), however, there is doubt that a girl named Emma actually committed suicide on Christmas eve, or at all, even though a Facebook fan page entitled “Teenager committed SUICIDE because of THIS status update – Leaked from 2008” would have you think otherwise. However, the story does match quite closely the suicide of Phoebe Prince, which occurred this January.

The question of whether someone named Emma was on Facebook in 2008, and committed suicide as a result of Facebook messages to her, is raised by a relatively new Facebook fan page, entitled “Teenager committed SUICIDE because of THIS status update – Leaked from 2008”. The Facebook fan page was created, it claims, to raise awareness of cyberbullying and to put a stop to cyberbullying.

The page has an image of the alleged messages, with a strategic section crossed out, saying that you have to “BECOME A FAN TO SEE FULL PIC”.

(Our image below shows the full set of messages, with nothing crossed out.)

This is known as a “squeeze” in marketing parlance, however it’s rather unusual on a Facebook fan page (not unheard of, but unusual – especially for such a supposedly altruistic effort).

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emma-suicide-facebook

 

Here is the interesting bit: The page claims that this happened in 2008. However, if you look at the image, you can clearly see that two people “liked” the messages (gave them a Facebook thumbs-up).

Now, Facebook only rolled out the new “like” button a few weeks ago.

So, almost certainly this entire thing is a hoax.

In addition, if you search for any of the sentences shown in the image, Google finds nothing at all. That’s unheard of for Facebook status messages, which are indexed very quickly by Google. It’s possible that these were messages within private accounts, but if a girl named Emma had actually committed suicide over a year ago over these messages, you can be sure the messages would be posted somewhere that Google could find it.

This all adds up to the Facebook page claiming “Teenager committed SUICIDE because of THIS status update – Leaked from 2008” being a hoax, at best, and a trap at worst. (On the other hand, the story of Phoebe Prince is all-too-real. Phoebe committed suicide this Janary after being tormented by several classmates, much of it on Facebook. Nine teens and juveniles are now facing charges for her death.)

What do we mean by trap?

Given the questionable nature of the page, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that this page will play on your heart strings to get you to click on the “join” link, only to download a Facebook virus to your computer.

Our advice? Avoid this page. If you want to do something about cyberbullying, check out sites like Stop Cyberbullying.org instead.

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36 thoughts on “The Story Behind the Emma Christmas Eve Suicide Over a Facebook Status Update

  1. Damn Yall Kant Get Nobdy So Yall Have No Choice But To Pick On Others..!Thats Wronq iSee How Yall Were Raised..! Cyber-Bullying Need Tew Stop..Kids Committing Suicide Whats Wronq With This World.!

  2. CYBER BULLYING IS AN EPIDEMIC THESE DAYS !!!!!! people need to learn to grow up if you dont have anything nice to say then dont speak common sence although some people find the need to taunt and torment others to the point where the person being bullied cant take it anymore and feel the only escape route is DEATH! this poor girl would still be alive had it not been for this jessa chick ihope justice is served and this girl gets whats coming to her by law i mean WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO this is the message we leave for teens and when we grow up and have kids this is the legacey as parents that we leave behind oh when iwas younger i bullied some one so much she killed her self yeah thats something to be real proud of thats great some people today i just dont know jessa i hope you read this maybe it will help you to get some help cuz if your bullying other people this much you need some serious help with your self you are not strong you are not confident and your not very beautiful obvistly and i aint talking about looks looks are only skin deep and attitude is everything if your attitude sucks then your ugly u have issues with your self thats why you did hat you did and now look someone died because of you becauses she felt like she had no way out

  3. this whole cyber bulling thing is the most dumbest thing ever i dont understand why people with a heart so low want to bring the hightest of people down to there level by words an acctions. It seems that most of everything happends on facebook and deals with teens im a teen my self and i couldnt imagian the pain people go throught for the people that do get though it i admire you for the ones that dont yall are still strong and you still won your hapier now and you wont be rememberd for the names and words people called you and posted you will be remembered for the goals you created and accomplished ive lost alot of friends to bullying and rest in peace all of you and you will all be truly missed.

  4. In reference to :

    Here is the interesting bit: The page claims that this happened in 2008. However, if you look at the image, you can clearly see that two people “liked” the messages (gave them a Facebook thumbs-up).

    Now, Facebook only rolled out the new “like” button a few weeks ago.

    It is possible that it happened in 2008 and people are only now liking the comments.

  5. I was really hurt by this story and I would like to become a fan of that page. I was touched by the other comments and I am totally against cyberbulling!!! Whoever this Jessa and Kenia is am I EXTREMLY pissed! I hope they feel bad cuz what life they took away! Anyways?! On my iPod and my hands hurt! RIP emma!! Love yaaaa

  6. r.i.p emma, like i had 5 friends killed them self bc of cyper bullying like foreal people that do cyber bulling should learn a little listen bc really they talk all smack over the internet but yet when they come face to face there all chicken like i dont do cyber bulling like its stupid u want to do something then do it face to face not over the pc like com on people this is what happens when someone get to the point where they cant take it nemore, your ruining peoples lifes like this u dont think so but u are like until u are in there shoes dont be running ur mouth till u no what is actually going on and uve been threw it cuz u will think twice b4 doing it and that jess person better feel bad about taking someone elses life

    but i g2g peace

    xo melissa

  7. betcha that wee gurl tat posted the status isnt that happy, shes probably scared for life now its so sad that that can happen to such an innocent gurl hopefully emma doesnt beleive jessa

  8. i feel sorry for that girl and family but at the sametime i will not do something stupid and worth my time kill myself because of some stupid comments. i don’t pay attention to stupid jelous ridiculous evil ignorant girls trying to bully me and get me down i might cry shout whatever but killing myself for these girls is not worth it i love myself and i don’t need to listend to evil people about yself……………..

  9. What stupid people you never tell anyone to go and commit suicide or ways to hurt themseleves thats the saddest thing to do fucking cunts. I swear some people are so cold hearted they need to get a life and stop getting into other peoples Emma seemed like she was a very nice girl, till those bastards ruined her life :( r.i.p girly. xxx

  10. thats sad but emma had to do something for the dad to do it i think boy trouble and by the wa hoax means boy trouble

  11. Okay my POV. On this whole situation if it is true may this emma girl rest in peace but as for the cyber bullying stuff i find that lame its stupid anybody could say anything over the internet and talk trash the internet suprisnly is a lil place from the social networkig sites ive been on but my logic is cyber bullying is stupid and if you let it get to you your a damn fool because they talk trash over the internet to make you feel publicy embaressed which is imature so whoever the girl is that made that comment about this emma girl needs to get a life cause i garrentee if she ever meet me yes shes gunna have some big problems even tho she seems like she already has some but im done here and i leave saying -.- This story is stupid A.F

  12. It’s obviously not fake because, nobody would right that just to make it fake but anyways theres enough evidence. It’s stupid to kill yourself just because of what somebody said.

  13. well kids shouldnt let comments from other ppl bother them. Its like the old saying sticks and stones may break my bones but name calling doesnt hurt me. I know they worry about what ppl think of them but it is part of the mental challenge of growing up. They need to learn to block out what ppl think of them and find true real friends. There are a few real ppl that you can call a true real friend.

  14. I don’t know whether this is fake or not, nor does it matter. I believe cyber-bullying is just as bad as bullying in person. Technology; though useful, gives people new ways to harm each other. I believe the human race will never evolve to the point where we no longer have to put down others to feel good about ourselves.

  15. theres no virus gained from the Facebook part of this, however, when they make you take a quiz to access “premium content”, the quizes download trojans to your computer…over half of my friends bought it. I learned my lesson when the “disney land stories” group was advertised

  16. I think that this could be a hoax, but the year could have been mistaken.
    Either way, cyberbullying is a serious way to torment someone, and the number of people who have be and are being cyberbullied is increasing.
    Really people, should we really live like this? Fearing the internets bullies.
    We should all stand up and fight the cruel heartless people that see it as their need to torment and drag other people down.
    If you do see any thing really, you should report it!
    Fight it, fight back.

  17. if i get cyber-bullied, i usually hurl insults at them, their family, their dog, their whole existance.

    they have opinions, we also have, so why don’t those that gets cyber-bullied, bully back? I don’t see a reason to be intimidated. Fight back!

  18. u can like a status update wenever u want even if its 3-4 yrs old if u can find it

  19. Bravo, Bravo! You solved the case of the fake cyberbullying status! I bet this was all elementary. Thank you for putting your pseudo life on the line to get us this riveting tale.

  20. um…. the like button has been on facebook for quite some time…. I’ve had my facebook for over a year and the like button has always been there…they recently changed the “become a fan” button to “like” as well…but as for “liking” someone’s post…thats always been there. So, this could very well not be a hoax…

  21. anyone could’ve “i liked” it way after who said they “i liked” it when it happened

  22. man the “like” was here forever lol and this is not the “fan page” this is the image of the actual status update which give users the option to “like” since god knows when its only recently that FB removed the “become a fan” and replaced it with the “like” button

  23. i seriously dont believe in this emma stuff coz its all fake i know….. but still i joined that group coz its motive is very correct……. cyber bullying is a serious issue……. and the emma one is not true…..

  24. crap like this is one of the many reasons i will never have “facebook” account, or bother looking up anyone else’s account. i don’t give a thin damm what the world at large thinks about me, and with the exception of the few, very few that i have invited into my life it’s none of the world’s business, but if you must know, my name is major beanfart. i enjoy old whiskey, young women and fast horses when they’re the ones i’m betting on. i’m retired after a less than illustrious career on royal service in the lower slobbovian army.. my present hobbies are hunting butterflies with a 40mm bofors gun and drawing moustaches on roadside billboards

  25. I agree with bigjohn756, besides being social animals we have the ability to think reasonable things. There is no justification about this “cyber-bullying”.

  26. i have visited the site, but i joined the group also because i believe their motive was good

  27. I do not understand so called “cyber-bullying” where the person being bullied must go to a web site and read nasty stuff about themselves in order to be properly bullied. Why would any ostensibly sane person subject themselves to that? There’s a OFF button on every computer.

  28. bigjohn756: Because it is in the nature of humans to want to know what other humans think about them, and to care. We’re social animals.

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