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COVINGTON, INDIANA: The family has revealed that a 13-year-old Indiana boy died after he killed himself on March 6. Terry Badger III endured relentless bullying at his school which led to his tragic death, the family said.
The baseball enthusiast was an extroverted child who was driven to make it to the professional leagues and play for his beloved St Louis Cardinals team. "This was an unexpected event where an innocent child took his own life as a result of bullying," the family wrote on GoFundMe.
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'His love for baseball was extraordinary'
Also known as TB3, Terry played baseball for the Fury, Braves, Nitro, and teams representing his city of Covington, throughout the seasons. He also played for the other local Covington teams."Those who knew Terry knew him for his love of baseball, fishing, hunting, and spending time with those he loved the most," the organizer of the fundraiser Julie Pettit said. "He was known for his infectious smile and caring, protective nature. He was kind, smart, had a heart of gold, and was always looking for ways to make those around him laugh." It further adds." Terry was an amazing son, brother, grandchild, nephew, cousin, and friend."
'Terry was eager to interact with anyone he met'
"Terry was eager to interact with anyone he met, regardless of their age," his father Terry Badger II told ABC News. He narrated how his son approached a group of military recruits at a high school football game. He recalled how Terry walked right up to them and shook all their hands and thanked them for their service, and "every one of them broke down crying".
"He did, however, exhibit a precocious capacity to relate to others yet he suffered relentless bullying at Covington Middle School", the father said. "He was being made fun of all the time," his mother, Robyn Badger, said as per the media outlet. "[They] put him down, told him he was a loser. Told him he was fat and that he should kill himself. Kids told him he sucked at baseball. Every haircut he had they made fun of. Anything that kid did, they made fun of him," she added.
'We can't control everybody'
Terry's father had intervened twice and even met the school employees six months ago. However, he was told that there is nothing that can be done. "They're kids and we're teachers and we can't control everybody," he was told.
The death was ruled a suicide on Thursday, according to the report from the Fountain Fountain County Coroner, the outlet mentioned. In a statement, Brady Scott, superintendent of the Covington Community School Corporation, said the district "is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of fellow Trojan Terry Badger" and announced an investigation into the claims that Terry was bullied. Tony Badger, Terry's uncle, recalled that Terry was proud of several of his on-field accomplishments, including throwing a pitch that exceeded 70 mph on the day he died.
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