Who was Makayla Marie Villatoro? Dallas girl, 11, kills herself a day before 12th b'day: 'She was always happy'
DALLAS, TEXAS: Makayla Marie Villatoro, 11, a sixth-grader from Dallas, died by suicide on the night of March 10, leaving her family in a state of utter shock as they didn't see it coming. The 11-year-old was about to celebrate her 12th birthday on Thursday, March 11.
Her parents are pleading with other parents to push their kids for answers beyond "I'm okay." Her mother, Hellem Villatoro, has been inconsolable since her daughter's passing as she had no inkling of what led to the drastic step and that she might never find the answers to it. “She was fine, for her birthday, she got what she wanted… she wanted a PlayStation, she was getting a PlayStation,” she said shoulders bent in sorrow and tears streaming unhindered. “It’s not right… I should be celebrating her birthday, not mourning my daughter. It’s the worst pain. It’s the worst pain in the world, how can you even go to sleep to know that she’s not there?” Hellem said.
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Makayla's mother insisted that her daughter who was the "light" of their family was always upbeat and never showed any signs of anything being wrong with her. "Always… always. She was always happy. You can ask anyone, when have you seen Makayla cry?" she said. She was a smart and popular student of Piedmont Global Academy of Dallas Independent School district which is mourning her devastating passing as well. “Even when you walk into the school building, you can feel the students are hurting and asking ‘why,'” said Principal Letrice Portley. She further stated that Makayla was smart, was social with a number of friends and in no way showed any signs of change in behavior that would be a cause of concern to the teachers or counselors.
Principal Portley shared the same thoughts as Hellem and said Makayla was always happy and always upbeat. “She was talkative… you weren’t going to be in the cafeteria and not have a conversation or a ‘hello’ with Makayla. She was that kind of kid.” The school saw an increased number of counselors on campus, a measure taken to support students and staff that were reeling with the loss of one of their own. Portley shared a message with the parents asking them to use the spring break downtime to bond with their kids.
The Villatoro's as well have the same message as the school. "Watch your kids closely. Even if they say ‘Mom, it’s okay.’ No. Push them. Push them. Look in their phones,” added Hellem. "And don’t be afraid to push for answers — while you can," she added. "So many I will never get answered. The main question is why? why?” she said. Dallas Independent School District is working with local healthcare partners to provide mental health support to students and their families.
A GoFundMe campaign has also been organized to cover the expenses of buying land for Makayla's burial and her funeral. So far 155 donors have supported the drive and $8,400 was raised out of the $18,000 goal when this article was previously updated.