A 12-year-old Georgia girl by the name of Katelyn Nicole Davis committed suicide on December 30th. That is a sad enough statement on its own. Even more heartbreaking, she streamed it live for all to see. Adding to it all, she spoke about being molested by a family member … something her mother knew about.
It took almost two weeks for the video to be removed from the internet, despite law enforcement’s best efforts to get it taken down. I have not watched that video. I can’t. I’m a parent. I have two children of my own whom I love dearly. More than anything.
I have watched several other videos of Katelyn. Many of them were confessional-style. Others were of fights between her and her mother. In them, Katelyn comes off as a normal pre-teenager—sad, silly, slightly narcissistic, and dramatic. In others she cries and talks about her troubles.
What the videos show.
In two of the videos, her mother, Tammy Rogers (heard in the background screaming and cursing constantly), comes off as an ogre. There is mention of the mother’s pain and need for Prozac. She says that Katelyn needs to take her pills as well. Katelyn’s little brother and sister can be heard in the background screeching while Tammy yells. She actually admits to knowing about how Katelyn’s step-dad assaulted her. Her response was that Katelyn has to stop throwing “shit” up in her face. That she got rid of the man. No wonder Katelyn needed Prozac too.
Katelyn’s mom may indeed have gotten rid of the monster, but nothing was ever done. Watching the videos now, after this poor girl hung herself, is … beyond sobering. So are all of the confessional ones where Katelyn cries in front of the camera and says repeatedly, “I can’t do this anymore.” If she hadn’t killed herself, and if we hadn’t known that her life was really terrible, we may have chalked it all up to teen-angst. Or girl drama. But we can’t. Because it was all real.
Protect your children. Background check everyone in your life.
Most youngsters—and a lot of older folks—can be overly dramatic. However, Katelyn’s “drama” can definitely be chalked up to her horrible “white-trash” life and her sex attack. That’s why it’s important that you, as a parent, run a background check on everyone in your life and your children’s.
The world is filled with horrible people. Look into the background of every single person who has access to your kids—their teachers, bus drivers, coaches, babysitters, and friends’ parents. And people search every one you know and meet as well—coworkers, potential dates, relatives, and significant others. Your children’s lives may count on it.
