New Jersey school suicide: Mother of 11-year-old discovers ominous cellphone recording

This story may contain details that are disturbing. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Shortly before Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, 11, died by suicide after allegedly being bullied, she wrote an email to an official in her New Jersey school about creating a safe space for students "to let out their feelings."

"I was watching TV and thinking about the things in my life that have happened to me. Then, I got a great idea!" she wrote in the email, which her mother, Elaina LoAlbo, shared with Fox News Digital.

"Instead of a drama club, it would be a Trama (sic) club! Trama (sic) is not a light subject to talk about, but I believe that having somewhere that people can go to, destress and let out all of their feelings and emotions," LoAlbo-Melendez wrote.

She described exactly what she would need — a "room that is not too big but not too small" and a couple of chairs — and volunteered to set it up.

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"I hope that this does happen," LoAlbo-Melendez wrote. "I, for one, have heard from my friends and others about things that have happened to them and I think this would be a fantastic thing. Have a great night."

That's how Felicia always was, her mother told Fox News Digital.

"My daughter has been advocating against bullying since kindergarten, when she was told to color herself with a brown crayon," LoAlbo said.

"My daughter believed she was golden. That Mommy was white and Daddy was brown. … She started standing up for herself and others since then."

Felicia's mother wants to continue her daughter's message "of empowering these kids to stand up for themselves."

"It's not just my daughter's cries that fell on deaf ears, but this is happening in all the schools," she said.

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Bullying — in person and online — is a growing national issue and a "frequent discipline problem," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

About one in five high school students reported being bullied on school property, and more than one in six high school students reported being bullied online in the last year, according to the CDC.

Nearly 14% of public schools report that bullying is a discipline problem occurring daily or at least once a week, the CDC says. 

The federal government provides resources for parents, victims and school districts on stopbullying.gov, which is managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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"Something's got to give," LoAlbo said.

She shared an audio recording from 2021 that she found in her daughter's phone in which Felicia promotes being nice to everyone, adding, "Don't be a bully."

LISTEN TO RECORDING HERE

The last two-plus months have been a trying time for LoAlbo and her family.

Her husband and Felicia's father, N.J. Transit Detective Alexis Melendez, died of cancer about two weeks before Felicia was found unresponsive on Feb. 6 in a bathroom at F.W. Holbein School in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

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Felicia died in a hospital two days later.

LoAlbo said she couldn't get into details about the alleged bullying because of potential legal action, but she told NJ.com on Saturday that "[Felicia] herself had written numerous emails to the administration detailing the events, yet no one was ever questioned."

Robert Mungo, superintendent of the Mount Holly Township School District, sent an email response to Fox News Digital that said they cooperated with the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, which included providing surveillance footage and documents.

"Our district suffered a loss, which continues to weigh heavily on the school community," Mungo said. "School counselors and administrators, with the support of the Burlington County School Crisis Response Team, have and will continue to increase outreach to students and staff and are prepared to aid them in processing this latest information as they continue to grieve.

"We remain focused on strengthening our support system for students, especially regarding their social and emotional well-being. Beyond that, we are committed to a culture that involves our entire school community in making our schools safe and secure for every student."

The documents and footage were reviewed by the prosecutor's office, according to an emailed statement, and Felicia's death was ruled a suicide following an autopsy by the medical examiner's office.

Her mother has been fighting to see the security video for weeks, and the prosecutor's office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that they agreed to show LoAlbo in a private viewing, which she said is scheduled to happen Thursday afternoon.

"Once I see the tapes and closed-case report, I can finally know what happened that fateful day," LoAlbo said.

"Once I see those tapes, my heart can start to heal for my daughter, and I can start to focus on the bigger picture, and that's the root of the problem: the bullying and our school systems willfully ignoring our children's cries for help."

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The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, a national nonprofit formed in response to the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, has been supporting Felicia and her family.

"Our Work Continues as the foundation will continue its official investigation into the school, including filing a potential lawsuit against the school should information reveal the school could have prevented the young girl's death," the organization said in an email to Fox News Digital.