Family of 14-year-old Glendale boy who died by suicide says he was bullied at school

It's one of Jessica Rodic's favorite photos. Her nephew Quentin Espinoza is standing on the dock at her home in Union Grove. He's wearing a blue slicker, hoisting the bluegill he just caught and smiling at the camera.

That smile, the family now understands, was masking a deep and long-simmering pain.

Fourteen-year-old Quentin took his own life Sunday at his family's home in Glendale. It followed years of bullying, his aunt has since learned, first at his schools in Ohio and then at Glen Hills Middle School where he enrolled as a seventh-grader this fall.    

"He was so excited to go to a new school, to get a fresh start," Rodic said. "It's one of the reasons his mom moved her family here. She felt like, 'What do I have to lose?'"

In his short time at Glen Hills, Quentin's mother, Lara Furko said, students mocked what they considered his Ohio accent — the family had recently moved from the Toledo area — and called him a "half-breed" because of his Latino-Anglo heritage.

Furko said she and police have found postings on Quentin's Instagram account, both before and after his death, suggesting he was being taunted by other teens. 

"We have proof that he was bullied," said Rodic, who stressed that the family was speaking out to protect other children, not to shame those who may have been involved. 

"We want people to talk to their children. We don't want another kid to do something stupid because of something they did or said," she said. "We want them to be held accountable and to be counseled, but we don't want anyone else to be hurt."

"I don't want any parent to go through what I'm going through — to find your son or daughter like that," Furko said. "Yes, I would like justice for my son, but not at the expense of another kid."

Glen Hills Principal Jeff Fleig and Glendale-River Hills School District Superintendent Larry Smalley said they were unaware of any evidence of bullying.

Fleig said Quentin was well-liked by teachers and students and that news of his suicide has "hit staff and students hard."

"I can unequivocally tell you that, as of right now, we have no evidence of cyber-bullying against this child," Smalley said. "If there's something out there, I would encourage any parent or child to come forward. If that's true, we would want to pursue that as much as we can."

Rodic said she was told by a Glendale police officer that there was "much" evidence of bullying on the teen's cellphone.

Glendale Police Department spokesman Officer Todd Lynch said there would be no public comment on the case while the investigation is pending. He would neither confirm nor deny her account.

Rodic said the Instagram posts by a group of mostly girls were found on Quentin's phone after his death. She paraphrased one from before his death as saying "I hope you die" and another after as saying, "I'm glad you're gone because I don't have to look at your ugly face anymore."

Fleig, the principal, said he's seen one screenshot of a comment but declined to describe its content. He said he would characterize it as mean and inappropriate but not as bullying without seeing the full context of the conversation.

Quentin's death comes amid a local and national spike in teen suicides. So far this year, at least eight people under age 18 from Milwaukee County have taken their own lives.

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Furko said she knew her son was being harassed but did not know the extent of it before his death. He left a note on his bed saying he had been bullied since he was 7 years old, according to the medical examiner's report. 

Furko said she wanted to go to Glen Hills to speak with the principal, but Quentin had asked her to wait because he thought it would make things worse. She said Quentin assured her that he had told his teachers about it.

Fleig said the boy had not complained to anyone on staff.

Since Quentin's death, Furko said, she's been contacted by at least two families who have corroborated the bullying.  

"Other students have gone to their parents ... and said the bullying with Quentin was bad," she said.

Furko and Rodic described Quentin as a kind boy who loved fishing and football and helped an elderly neighbor with chores around her home.

"He was just a good kid. He loved to ride snowmobiles and ATVs at our house, running in the woods. He was an outdoorsy guy. A Gofundme.com page created by Rodic describes him as "full of life, always happy to make others laugh and smile." His heart, it says, "was a rare find." The account had raised more than $12,000 as of Wednesday evening, well beyond its $1,500 goal.

Rodic said Quentin spent much of his last weekend at her home, much of it fishing. She saw no warning signs. His mother added that Sunday night was uneventful. "He helped me make tacos," she said. "It was a normal night."

They wish now that he'd said something, anything, given them a clue.

"I'd tell him everything is fixable; it's going to pass," Rodic said.

"This is just a small period in their lives. ... They just want out of the pain of it right now. And I think that's what he was thinking."

Editor's note: If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.