In February 2025, social media users claimed an 11-year-old girl in Texas took her own life after bullies at her school threatened to report her family to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get them deported.
One Instagram user posted a photo allegedly showing the girl (archived), with text beneath the picture reading:
A 6th grader in Texas took her life because she was getting bullied by kids telling her that they're going to call ice on her parents and that she would end up alone ... Justice for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza.
Others wrote that Jocelynn's classmates at Gainesville Intermediate School "mocked her family's immigration status" and that her parents were "never informed" about the harassment. They also speculated on the reason she took her life, saying she had been "tormented" by "relentless bullying" (archived, archived).
Several news media outlets also reported on the circumstances surrounding her death, such as Newsweek and CNN. According to the reports, Jocelynn's mother, Marbella Carranza, received a call on Feb. 3, during which she was informed her daughter had attempted to take her own life at their home. Jocelynn was taken to an intensive care unit in Dallas, where she died five days later.
The Dallas County medical examiner's public information records confirm the 11-year-old died at Medical City Children's Hospital on Feb. 8. It listed the manner of death as suicide
Multiple news media outlets published photos of Jocelynn, confirming she was the girl in the social media posts.
The sixth-grader's mother told Spanish-language TV station Univision during an interview that her daughter had been bullied at Gainesville Intermediate School. That interview also featured pictures of the 11-year-old.
Carranza said Jocelynn's fellow students threatened to call ICE because her family was Hispanic and told her she would be "alone" once her parents were deported. She added that the school did not inform her about the difficulties her daughter faced and that Jocelynn had been attending school counseling sessions one to two times a week.
Gainesville Independent School District (GISD) said via email that it is unable to release information related to specific students or incidents but that it has several policies in place to tackle bullying:
The top priority of the Gainesville ISD is to ensure a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students. Because of this, we take any reports of bullying at our schools very seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy.
Whenever we receive a report of bullying, we respond swiftly to ensure all students are safe physically and emotionally. While we cannot release any information about specific students or incidents, our schools have several policies in place to combat bullying and resolve conflicts.
These policies provide opportunities to report such behavior. If a report arises, the District immediately takes all steps necessary to respond appropriately. We have been, and will continue to be proactive in our efforts to make sure our schools are safe, secure, and free from harassment.
On Feb. 28, GISD provided an update via email saying that, following an investigation, it had concluded that Jocelynn was "impacted by a bullying incident involving another student on campus."
GISD said the matter was first brought to its attention on Jan. 30, 2025, when Jocelynn reported a student on the bus for making remarks about ICE and deportation to a group of Hispanic students. The update said the comments were not directed at Jocelynn but that she was close enough to hear them and that this was not a one-time occurrence. The student in question was said to have been disciplined on Jan. 31.
The school district said a member of Jocelynn's family alerted the school to her hospitalization on Feb. 4 and the following day students began reporting that Jocelynn and her brother had been bullied. An internal investigation was launched on Feb. 6.
GISD also said Jocelynn had previously expressed thoughts of self-harm, which Carranza knew about but the school did not. The organization added that Jocelynn was attending group sessions with a school counselor and that while Carranza initially said she was unaware of this, the school district had obtained a signed permission slip authorizing her involvement.
We have contacted Jocelynn's family for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.
Kevin Phillips, chief of police at the Gainesville Police Department, said via email that the incident was still being actively investigated. He also explained that the bullying allegations were being investigated by the school district's police department. Therefore, it has not been possible to determine what role the alleged bullying played in Jocelynn's death.
On Feb. 27, the Gainesville Police Department provided a Public Case Report via email that said it had received several calls regarding an attempted suicide on Feb. 3. It said first responders reached the scene within two minutes and lifesaving measures were performed. The victim was transported to a hospital where she died from her injuries on Feb. 8.