‘If it has been shared I am going to kill myself.’
This was the harrowing text sent by Chloe Walklate to close friends just two days before she took her life at home after skipping school.
The 13-year-old, from Queensland, had struggled with the transition from primary school to high school, and was bullied relentlessly.
The cruel taunts followed her home via Snapchat. Then the rumours about messages she may have sent on the platform started.
Chloe died in September 2017, just three days before the end of the school term.
Chloe’s mum Sam (pictured together above) wishes her 13-year-old daughter had been able to open up about the things worrying her
Chloe Walklate took her life in September 2017 when she was aged just 13
Speaking to FEMAIL, her distraught mum Sam said she knew Chloe was unhappy and had been trying to enrol her at a different school.
But she had no idea how dark her daughter’s life had truly become.
In the months leading up to her death, Chloe, a gifted student with an A+ academic record, began skipping school.
Her grades slipped and she was put on a performance-management program to try to get her back on track, but her heart wasn’t in it.
‘She would have gastro symptoms for a week at a time and miss out on school,’ her heartbroken mum said.
Sam now knows these symptoms likely reflected the intensity of Chloe’s anxiety and depression rather than her gut health.
Sam had no idea about the rumours and taunts her daughter was being subjected to, or her suicidal thoughts.
Chloe went from being bubbly and bright at home to withdrawn and quiet
Most of the rumours surrounding Chloe when she took her life in September 2017 centered around Snapchat, an app known for its disappearing messages.
A Snapchat spokesperson told FEMAIL there is no place for bullying on the platform and the company continues to develop rules and resources to keep teens safe.
Messages from the young teenager had apparently been passed around by Chloe’s peers, making her feel isolated, afraid and desperate to escape.
She begged her parents for a fresh start, something they both tried to make happen by starting the enrolment process at a new school.
But Chloe’s inability to escape her bullies proved too much.
The first red flag came when Chloe missed the school bus and her grandfather drove her to school.
The 13-year-old, who was once a keen student, refused to get out of the car when they arrived.
‘She was a mess, so he took her to McDonald’s for a heart-to-heart,’ Sam recalled.
Chloe also opened up to a close family friend two days before she died – but the adult thought they had ‘talked her down’ so didn’t mention it to Sam.
Sam wishes her daughter had come to her instead of trying to face her troubles alone.
‘I would have told her it doesn’t matter what you have done, we can fix it together. Nothing is that bad that you need to deal with it on your own,’ Sam said.
Sam said she would have done anything to protect her daughter and wants other young people to give their parents the chance to help.
‘I know it can be scary for young people to open up to their parents – but if she did, she would still be here,’ Sam said.
Chloe begged her parents to help her move schools before she took her own life. They had started the process before she ended her life
The next time Chloe skipped school would be her last.
Sam got the call to say she hadn’t caught the bus – but as it was the last Wednesday of the school term, she and her husband decided to let Chloe stay home.
‘The last time I spoke to her I told her to catch up on her outstanding school tasks,’ Sam said.
She was met with resistance, but thought they had settled on finishing up at the old school with everything up-to-date.
But when Sam couldn’t reach Chloe a few hours later, she panicked.
‘I went home. It was so unlike her not to pick up the phone. I was hoping I would find her riding her horse,’ she said.
The teenager had wanted to be a vet and adored her pets. But she wasn’t with the horses.
The youngster skipped school on the day she took her own life
‘I saw her as soon as I pulled into the driveway,’ the devastated mum explained.
She had to keep driving up the driveway despite knowing what she would find when she got there.
‘She had been dead for two and a half hours. I screamed and a neighbour came. We knew it was too late but tried to revive her,’ she said.
A full picture of Chloe’s mental health came together in the weeks after her death.
Police were called in to investigate and friends and family came to Sam with clues which seemed mundane at the time, but in hindsight were significant.
She had sent friends the ominous text, ‘If it has been shared I am going to kill myself.’
She had even decorated the back of her school journal with graffiti about death – something Sam wishes she had seen before it was too late.
‘It still upsets me when I see it,’ the mum said.
Chloe had also spoken with loved ones about funeral arrangements and what she might like.
‘She did it so casually. I had grandparents and an aunt pass shortly before so thought it was just her chatting about that,’ Sam said.
The distraught mum has spoken about her daughter’s death to help prevent further tragedies and as part of Lifeline’s ‘Giving Day’ on May 30.
Eight Australians die by suicide every day and it remains the leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 44.
The impact of one suicide is felt by up to 135 people – their family, colleagues, friends and neighbours.
If you or a loved one needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14