Bullying possibly caused Chinese-American's suicide

A 13-year-old Chinese-American killed herself recently after having reportedly been the victim of continuous bullying, some of which was focused on her race, according to reports by the US media.

A 13-year-old Chinese-American killed herself recently after having reportedly been the victim of continuous bullying, some of which was focused on her race, according to reports by the American media.

Emilie Olsen, born in China in 2001, was adopted and brought to the United States when she was nine months old. She shot herself in the head at her home in Fairfield Township, Ohio on Dec. 11.

Local police said the girl left no note, nor did she indicate that she was having any suicidal thoughts before her death.

Her adoptive father Marc Olsen told US media that the girl had been bullied verbally and physically since elementary school and that she had also been a victim of cyber-bullying. "There was a racial component to the bullying," he was quoted as saying by the Cincinnati Enquiry.

However, local police and the school Emilie attended said there was no evidence that her death was caused by bullying. School officials said that the girl, other students, and teachers had not reported any bullying before.

Marc Olsen was quoted by local media as saying, "I'm not saying the school did something wrong, but I am looking for answers."

The suicide is still under investigation.

Bullying has been a serious concern in the United States for years. Statistics released by the U.S. Department of Justice show that one in four students has been bullied and one in five students has bullied others. Students from immigrant and ethnic minority families can often become victims of bullying.