Spalding County Mother Calls for Bullying Accountability After Death

Miracle Creswell, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Cowan Road Middle School in Spalding County, died after injuring herself at home last Wednesday, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

Her younger siblings found her inside the family home, and she was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital in Brookhaven. She ultimately died from her injuries.

Shantrell Brown said her daughter had been dealing with mental health issues for about a year and was actively participating in therapy. Brown told FOX 5 Atlanta that Miracle had also experienced bullying at school, which led the mother to have direct conversations with school staff.

“She shared her room with Miracle, and she’s scared to go in her room,” Brown said of her younger daughter.

Brown said that she did not fully realize the depth of the struggle her daughter faced until she read Miracle’s diary after her death. Inside the journal, the 12-year-old wrote about feeling torn and wanting her family to remain strong.

Spalding County student dies following bullying — FOX 5 Atlanta

Following the tragedy, Brown called for heightened accountability regarding bullying in both school environments and homes. “I feel like these kids need to be accountable—either they need to be sent to boot camp or parents need to be more accountable of their children and their actions, because no parent should be going through what I’m going through,” Brown told FOX 5 Atlanta.

She is now urging other parents to monitor middle schoolers closely and limit unmonitored privacy. “Check their phones a lot more. I know when they are in middle school they keep a lot of secrets from parents. Ask 100 questions, even though they may not like it, just pay attention,” Brown said.

According to data from the Children’s Hospital Association, suicide ranks as the second-leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 14.

It remains unclear what steps Cowan Road Middle School staff took following Brown’s conversations, or whether the school opened a formal bullying investigation, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.

Anyone struggling or in crisis can access help by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org.