TORI BLAIR WILSON - 8 yo - Anderson County TX

ANDERSON COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - The Anderson
County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of an eight-year-old
girl found dead in a wooded area behind her home.
The family was at a bar-b-que with several
neighboring families, when according to investigators, Tori Blair
Wilson, had forgotten something out in the woods, went back to get it,
and did not return.
About an hour after she left, family and friends began searching for her.
A Deputy was dispatched to a medical
emergency. When the Deputy arrived, EMS and first responders were
working on the girl about 80 yards behind the home, where her body was
discovered.
This is described as a wooded area where the kids play. Local kids call it their "club house."
Investigators have ruled the case as an "equivocal death."
According to Vernon J. Geberth, Former
Commander with the Bronx Homicide department, "Equivocal death
investigations are those inquiries that are open to interpretation.
There may be two or more meanings and the case may present as either a
homicide or a suicide depending upon the circumstances. The facts are
purposefully vague or misleading as in the case of a "staged crime
scene." Or, the death is suspicious or questionable based upon what is
presented to the authorities. The deaths may resemble homicides or
suicides, accidents or naturals. They are open to interpretation
pending further information of the facts, the victimology and the
circumstances of the event."
You can read Geberth's article by clicking here.
http://www.kltv.com/story/14477039/palestine-girl

(KYTX) - We're learning more tonight about
Tori Blair Wilson. She's the Palestine girl who was found dead behind
her home Sunday night following a neighborhood barbecue.
Investigators are still not sure how this
young girl died. Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said the girl's
death doesn't appear to be natural causes nor a homicide. Just like
investigators, the girl's neighbors are completely baffled over her
death.
A pink bicycle sits in the front yard of Tori
Blair Wilson's Anderson County home. A reminder of the innocent young
girl who once lived there.
"She was out here playing, it was around this
time. She was playing bikes and water balloons. That's when I saw her
out here," said a neighbor.
This neighbor, who didn't want to appear on
camera, says the 8-year-old was playing with his daughter the morning of
her death. He didn't realize that Sunday morning would be the last time
he would see her alive.
"We went to church that Sunday and came back. We only saw lights pass by," said the neighbor.
Those lights were sheriff deputies and
ambulances responding to calls from Wilson's home. Sunday night, the
second grader was found unresponsive only 80 yards behind her house.
"We really don't know what happened," said the neighbor.
Neither do investigators at this point. The
young girl told another child she forgot something in the woods. But,
she never returned, unusual for a child whom we're told was full of
life.


"It's devastating, it's something that makes you appreciate your loved ones," said Dr. Ed Lyman, Westwood ISD Superintendent.
Counselors and local pastors have been on Westwood ISD campuses in Palestine consoling students.
Tori has siblings at ever campus. Her death has taken an emotional toll on the entire school district.
"Teachers loved her, very fine student, she
came from a great family. We just want to send our condolences to the
family," said Dr. Lyman.
A family who is now left to deal with such an unexpected death of a girl who was just beginning her life.
Sheriff Greg Taylor said there wasn't a lot
of physical evidence at the scene. Investigators are still interviewing
adults and even children to see exactly what was going on in this girl's
life.
An autopsy was performed on the girl's body
in Tyler. However, no preliminary cause or manner of death has been
listed. The sheriff tells us it could be several weeks before they have
an answer.http://www.cbs19.tv/story/14486168/investigation-into-east-texas-girls-death-continues

Snipped from public accessible Facebook site.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Westwood-High-School-Home-of-the-Fighting-Panthers/146183355421004?sk=wall&filter=12

Westwood High School (Home of the Fighting Panthers)
Services for Tori "Bear" Blair Wilson, 8, a second-grader at Westwood Primary School are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Pavilion at East Texas Arboretum, 1601 Legendary Lane, Athens. Burial will be in Oaklawn Memorial Park under direction of Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home

Girl aged just EIGHT hanged herself 'after being bullied right up to the day of her death'

Last updated at 9:25 AM on 27th May 2011


Heartbreaking death: Tori Blair Wilson, eight, killed herself in the woods behind her home near Palestine, East Texas

An eight-year-old girl found dead in the woods near her home had hanged herself after being bullied, police have said.

The body of little Tori Blair Wilson was discovered just 80 yards from her
house near Palestine, East Texas, after she went missing from a
neighbourhood barbecue.
Following a weeks-long investigation, an autopsy has now revealed the second-grader died from suicide by hanging.
It also found the pretty eight-year-old had talked about suicide in the
past, once even putting her head in a noose in front of one of her
friends.
Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor told CBS: 'It appears
she was a good student with no problems at school, but we did receive
information she may have been bullied at some point.'
He told
local newspaper the Palestine Herald Tori may even have been bullied on
the day of her death, but investigators had not discovered any specific
culprits.

Tori was a pupil at Westwood Primary School, where she was described as a 'very fine student' who was loved by teachers.

She had been playing happily with bikes and water balloons at the
neighbourhood barbecue near her home on Sunday, April 17, when she
disappeared.

Sheriff Taylor said: 'All of the kids came inside and (Tori) went back into the woods saying
she forgot something. When she didn't show up her family went looking
for her and found her hanging.'


Family home: Tori Wilson disappeared from a
barbecue and was last seen playing happily with friends near her house
just outside Palestine, East Texas


Poignant reminder: Tori had been playing on this pink bike just before her death

He said officers ruled out foul play early on, but were 'baffled' by her death because there was little evidence at the scene.
In an autopsy report, Dr John A. Stash of the Southeast Texas Forensic
Science Center ruled the cause of her death was 'asphyxia by hanging',
and listed the manner of her death as suicide. There was no sign of a
struggle.

The report continued: 'According to investigative
information the decedent had a history of suicidal ideation and had
similarly placed her head and neck in a rope in the presence of a friend
in the past in a possibly prior hanging attempt.'
But Justice of the Peace James Westley has said he is not yet willing to put suicide on
Tori's death certificate, and said he needs to discuss the case further
with the sheriff's office before making a decision.


Tragic suicide: Tori Wilson's family found her
body in these woods behind her house. According to the autopsy, she had
discussed suicide before


Stunned: Fellow pupils at Westwood Primary
School were offered counselling after Tori's death. The superintendent
described her as a 'very fine student'

School district superintendent Dr Ed Lyman paid tribute to Tori when
she died, telling KYTX: 'Teachers loved her, very fine student, she came
from a great family. We
just want to send our condolences to the family.'
He said counsellors and pastors were on hand at both the district's school campuses to help grieving students.

Sheriff Taylor described Tori's death as 'disturbing', but said it was not an
isolated incident and he had dealt with the suicides of younger children
before.
He told the Herald: 'We’ll never
know why. How an 8-year-old can come to that conclusion? Unfortunately,
it’s not totally an isolated incident.'
He urged parents to talk to their children and watch out for warning signs to see if anything is wrong.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391173/Tori-Blair-Wilson-8-hung-bullied-right-day-death.html#ixzz1Vtle4L2j