'Can we kill him': 6th-grade girl group harassed 12-year-old before making death threats, Ohio family says

An Ohio family says that authorities did little to protect their 12-year-old son after they reported online harassment that included a death threat plot.

The messages were allegedly made by other students from Madison Local Schools in Butler County, according to the victim's aunt, Courtney Sorrell.

'We didn't want this to blow up, but we want the kids to know you can't make these threats and bully someone or say these things and not be held accountable.'

Sorrell said the harassment began after a breakup, which led to the girl group targeting her nephew.

"Her and her friends were targeting my nephew individually at first," Sorrell said to WKRC-TV. "Just calling, texting, FaceTiming, and harassing him to the point he would block one person's number, and then they would reach out from another number. They would say disgusting things like how he's hated and he needs to just go kill himself."

The girls allegedly added him to a group chat where they discussed their alleged plan to kill him. Some of the messages were included in a Butler County Sheriff's Office report.

"Can we kill him," one message read.

Another read, "Yas we will kill him tomorrow," and, "Who has weapons that we can bring to school."

Others said they could bring a pocketknife, baseball bats, and a gun.

Screenshots of the group chat showed 13 participants.

The kids who participated in the chat were suspended for 10 days, but the family is upset that the district didn't appear to take the threat seriously. Sorrell said the family went to the media because they felt the district wasn't doing enough.

In response, the school district released a statement.

"We are aware of social media posts regarding a potential threat toward Madison today," the statement reads. "The district is actively addressing the situation and has taken appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our students and employees. We appreciate your cooperation and support as we prioritize the well-being of our school community."

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Sorrell says the family wants greater accountability at the district and far more transparency. They also want the children who made the threats to face more stringent punishments.

"Why don't you call the cops? Why don't you go to the school? Well, we tried that at the beginning,” Sorrell continued.

"We didn't want to come to social media," she added. "We didn't want this to blow up, but we want the kids to know you can't make these threats and bully someone or say these things and not be held accountable."

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