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Family of Dying Child Cyber Bullied by Neighbors
Filed under: News, In The News, Weird But True, Bullying, New In Pop Culture
The family of Kathleen Edward, a 7-year-old Michigan girl in the late stages of a terminal illness, is dealing with not only the girl's deteriorating health, but also online and in-person harassment from their neighbors, ABC News reports.
Kathleen is in the late stages of Huntington's Disease, a genetic degenerative brain disorder that her mother, Laura Edward, died of last year.
The Edward's neighbor, Jennifer Petkov, posted images on Facebook of Laura in the arms of the Grim Reaper and Kathleen above a set of crossbones. She and her husband, Scott Petkov, put a coffin on their truck and drove past the Edward home, honking the horn, ABC News reports.
Jennifer Petkov tells Detroit news station WJBK that she posted the photos for "personal satisfaction" and to upset Kathleen's grandmother.
Since the story has been reported in the media, Jennifer Petkov has been attacked on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Also, Scott Petkov tells the Detroit News that, as a result of the Facebook page Jennifer created, last week his employer suspended him with pay from his job as a forklift repairman, and he could be fired.
The Petkovs have since apologized to the Edward family, telling the Detroit News their actions were "ignorant." They say they would apologize in person, but the Edward family has personal protective orders against their neighbors.
"What I did was ignorant and wrong and I would walk right across this street now and apologize, if it weren't for the PPO (personal protection order issued against her earlier by a court)," Jennifer Petkov tells the Detroit News. "I'm not proud of myself because this went from a neighborhood dispute to a huge thing."
Cheryl Dellasega, author and professor of humanities at Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn., calls the situation the "most extreme case [of cyber-bullying] I've ever heard of." She adds, "I have to wonder if there wasn't some pathology involved that they would need to express something so heinous online. They couldn't work their negative feelings out in some other way, like through counseling."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
10-13-2010 @ 4:03PM
Lauren said...Oh my God. I am absolutely HORRIFIED. Why in the hell would somebody do this to a fellow human being? Personal satisfaction? Those people are sick.
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10-13-2010 @ 4:21PM
Mihir said...if there's a more appropriate WTF moment out there, i haven't seen it.
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10-13-2010 @ 8:25PM
D. Rudy said...I would think that if this ill child saw the cyberbullie's comments or the coffin that past by her home, the offending parties could or should be charged with felony child abuse. Mental abuse is as severe as physical abuse in a child and maybe even more severe.
Offenders should also be charged with violating the PPO if any event occurred after issuance of PPO. An apology now is a moot point, only a copout for the offenders.
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10-13-2010 @ 5:02PM
Heidi said...wow...I hope the Petkov's don't breed. Talk about the shallow end of the gene pool...
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10-13-2010 @ 6:15PM
Eileen said...I sure hope that this young lady can rest in peace and that this ignorant family gets all that they deserve. I hope that the guy gets fired and that these nasty people get so much grief that it takes three life times to get over it. How ignorant and just plain rude. I wonder what their parents would think of this kind of behavior. I was raised better than that and I raised my child to be better than that. This is disgusting....
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10-13-2010 @ 7:28PM
Melissa said...What DISGUSTING people- I'm glad the husband was laid off and I sincerely hope he's fired- pond scum like those people have no place among us and I sincerely hope she commits suicide or better yet, dies very slowly and painfully. Here's to hoping the Petkov's house burns down with that LOVELY couple in it. And to be so arrogant as to think those poor people would even WANT their pathetic apology. What a frickin disgusting display of humanity. I hope they havn't spawned any children- shallow gene pools lead to this kind of thing I'm sure.
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10-26-2010 @ 10:56PM
starr said...How could someone be so incredibly cruel? This little girl lost her mother last year...anyone who can put themselves in the shoes of another can imagine the anguish she must have suffered to have lost the most important person in her world...and now she is succumbing to the same illness....
Do these "neighbors" have some kind of rotting matter for brains? I am just beyond understanding how they could be this cruel to a 7 year old child.
It is painful for me to think about this as just a far-away bystander...sickening.
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10-14-2010 @ 3:53AM
jmacdow said...Sociopathic behavior! Where is the compassion? Love? How can someone have so much contempt and hatred in their heart?
Im completely dumbfounded...
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10-14-2010 @ 11:16AM
Alicia said...If this woman hadn't been such a self-centered, cruel maniac, then the victimized family wouldn't need a restraining order and she wouldn't have to apologize. The worst part is, this horrible woman has children. Some example she's setting, right? It all apparently started because she asked if her kids could come to a birthday party and no one answered quickly enough. To torment an ill child and a griving family over a stupid child's birthday party is insane, pointless and this woman ought to seek professional help.
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10-14-2010 @ 11:32AM
mt said...It seems like a different scumbag sets a new bar on a daily basis.
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10-15-2010 @ 4:21PM
annie said...I hope Scott Petkov is terminated by his employer - who would want such a POS working for them? I saw Jennifer Petkov's apology being read....by her attorney, not her...and her face did not show sorrow, regret, or any empathy for that poor little girl and her family. The apology was totally insincere. Too bad Jennifer Petkov does not have the terminal illness - the world would be a better place without her.
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10-16-2010 @ 6:55PM
Lazaruslong said...Apology? The only reason she "apologized" is because she was called out for her and her families' behavior. Turn you backs and walk away from this white trash.
12-12-2010 @ 4:16PM
PT said...Actually, I think her husband should apologize too! He helped this sociopath torment that family. They lost all their humanity, and showed their children how to be abusers. They have only themselves to blame if he loses his job. What sick and twisted animals they are!
10-15-2010 @ 9:04PM
allybink said...OMG....these people have children????!!!! Why???!!! This world does not need any more scum like this. I can sum it up with one phrase: "WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND"!!
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10-16-2010 @ 3:28AM
Cheryl said...As a Social Worker, who has worked with abused children, I believe that CPS needs to get involved as this family has children of their own. What a terrible message they are giving to their children. By their actions, they are abusing their own children emotionally and psychologically.
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10-16-2010 @ 3:54AM
D said...So it went from a neighborhood thing to a huge dispute and NOW you feel sorry. Does that mean if it hadn't you would have continued your rein of terror on a severely hurting family?!?
What a rather lame excuse for a case of more than just ignorance!
This is not just a case of cyber-bullying, its a horrendous display of someone who is willing to not not only victimize a fatally sick person but also a child. Shame on you isn't enough. This could have easily been your child ...
Absolutely sick!! I pray for your soul and hope you can live with your disgusting reflection for the rest of your life knowing you did nothing to ease the pain of this child but increased it tenfold!!!!!
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10-16-2010 @ 4:18AM
CAS said...There's another news story were that sicko psycho talks about how now she is sooo sorry! Her Husband apparently could loss his job over the whole deal. Well you know what fire his butt, these people live in Michigan I was so shocked we have such suffering in this state unemployment etc. But this jerk and his psycho wife are employed NO! Take it all away than maybe she'll really be sorry! Live on the street and burn in hell there is no forgiveness for this! Maybe God can forgive you but in this life you have to pay!
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10-16-2010 @ 8:10AM
Sara said...This is the most despicable display of out-right human callousness I have ever seen. These people should be prosecuted. This woman is proudly proclaiming that she committed these atrocities for her own "personal satisfaction", and obviously has no idea how sick and disturbed she is. Her behavior should not go unpunished. As for the husband, I do not wish for him to lose his job because he has innocent children to provide for (and he is most likely a puppet to his psychotic wife). That being said, I DO wish for CPS to get involved because no REAL parents could/would treat another child in this manner. My heart goes out to brave little Kathleen and her family.
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10-16-2010 @ 9:05AM
Bethany said...Fry these idiots...they are breathing the same air as everyone else and that's just not right. Why are they not in jail? HELLO??? Can we say HARASSMENT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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10-16-2010 @ 9:55AM
RDOUGHTY said...I can't in my 59 years on this earth think of a more distrubing story as this one. These are sick people,Scott included, and I sincerely hope that the town/neigbors,do what is necessary to "correct " this. My best wishes for kathey and her family...my god,it is beyond belief!!!!
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