SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Teenagers are connected like never before, through social media and messaging. But instant access online can also expose kids to severe cyberbullying, sextortion and exploitation.
"When parents think my kid would never do that- that is when their kids are going to be victimized," retired detective Richard Wistocki told WAND News.
WAND News sat down with the Hughes family in Springfield. They lost their 15-year-old daughter, Hannah, to suicide in June 2025. Her parents said it came after years of severe cyberbullying. They shared their story in the hopes of saving another life.
"We lived in a somewhat nice little community over in Grand Valley Village when she was little. She had cousins and family and friends. I mean, everybody had children about the same age growing up with her over there," Jonathan Hughes told WAND News.
Jon described Hannah as a brave, free-spirited little girl.
"She wasn't really afraid of a whole lot. She had no problems messing with frogs and going and looking for earthworms, bugs. It didn't matter to her, either," Jon explained.
As she got older, he said her love of exploring the outdoors and fishing with dad shifted to music and the arts.
"She was a heck of an artist. When she was little, she used to do clothes designs and draw clothes designs and, of course, makeup and everything," Jon said, "Like she was just almost everything she put her hands on — she was good at."
He said that as Hannah was entering junior high, she dreamed of going to college to become a counselor and work with children.
"She [was] just [a] beautiful soul, you know, the way she treated everybody as a whole and the way she was towards, you know, just life and animals and stuff," Jon told WAND News.
But around that same time, Jon said the bullying and cyberbullying started.
"Some of it started in the schools, like she had several kids, didn't like her, [and] that would target her just because she stood her ground. You know, she stood up for her friends," Jon added.
He said Hannah got suspended for getting into a fight with other students at Jefferson Middle School. Soon after, he said the fighting moved online.
"The kids are using the group chats to one target, one another — Snapchat, TikTok, things like that," he explained.
Around this time, Jon said Hannah asked to move in with her biological mother. He thought a fresh start and a new school might be best for his 13-year-old. But he said things only got worse.
"Then, when I had found out that my daughter had expressed to me that there were some pictures that were involved, and there were some videos, that these kids had made threats to my daughter to send them to me and to tell me the truth about her and stuff," Jon explained.
Jon went to her school to talk with administrators. District 186 told WAND News it cannot comment on the specifics of Hannah's case or any possible disciplinary action against students, due to privacy laws.
"The last phone call I got from her was just — it was hard. So when I [explained] to me what was going on, she just kept saying that I couldn't fix it. She knew that I'd go as far as I could go. And, when I told her on the phone that, you know 'well, I'll talk to your mom about it.' Please don't, because it would just make things worse. Don't go out of school and make things worse. Don't do this. It'll make things worse," Jon explained.
He said there were also issues in her new home, and he knew Hannah was unhappy. But he only later learned how severe the cyberbullying had become.
"They sent my daughter days prior to that, a meme of a Rice Krispies cake with Benadryl on it and said, 'Oh, what's wrong? Hannah, are you not hungry? Your plate looks full' or something like that," Jon said.
The meme refers to a social media trend called the "Benadryl Challenge," where teens take a large amount of the allergy medicine to hallucinate. It's easy to overdose, and Jon believes these bullies were goading Hannah into taking her own life.
On June 25, 2025, Hannah died by suicide after taking a lethal dose of Benadryl.
"It was within hours, it wasn't days — it was an hour — these kids got on, Snapchat and whatever else social media, lemon8 and TikTok or whatever, and was just going buck wild. They were telling my daughter's friends to go kill themselves. One child made a comment of Hannah got smoked cuss word, I'm a pack Hannah up in that Hannah pack and smoke her," Jon explained.
The violent words have left Jon and his family reeling since her death.
"The first thing is that parents really need to take a good look at themselves and take a good look at their children," Jon said.
While he acknowledged his daughter made mistakes, he said no child should experience the horror Hannah went through.
"I've had not one break from it, and I just keep telling myself that there has to be some good to come from this. Because if I give up and these kids see me give up, they're going to feel like they don't have anything else to stand for," Jon said.
He's now made it his mission to raise awareness among parents. He's also working with local organizations to create safe spaces for teens to gather in Springfield. His message to kids and parents: take this problem seriously.
"You know, there's always somebody to talk to. There's always somebody that you can go to, you know, and, with the parents, don't take none of it lightly. You know, if they tried to do it, then do something about it, because the chances are that they try that one time, might be that all it takes," Jon said.
The Sangamon County Coroner reports three children, under 17, died by suicide in 2025. The Champaign County Coroner also reported that three children died by suicide. The Macon County Coroner reported no suicides among those under 17 last year, but one has been documented in 2026.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 any time or day.
District 186 said any student or parent wanting to report a bullying incident can do so here or through the Safe 2 Help website. A district spokeswoman said Peace Rooms are available at each high school daily. Licensed social workers and psychologists are available to help students any time during the school day.
While the district will not say whether any students were disciplined after Hannah's death, WAND News has learned that not face criminal charges. In our series, we will continue investigating why and how a proposed bill at the Illinois statehouse could crack down on the most severe forms of cyberbullying.
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