New Details Emerge Leading Up To Cheshire Student’s Tragic Death

CHESHIRE, CT — New details of the days and weeks leading up to the tragic death of an 11-year-old girl in Cheshire have emerged in a recent police report. Anjelita Estrada, a sixth-grade student at Doolittle Elementary School, died on Dec. 23 and the state Chief Medical Examiner's Office has ruled her death a suicide. A teacher reported to school officials that Anjelita was being bullied at school in the weeks before her death and the Meriden Record-Journal reports that a police report released late last week also referenced a conflict with family and a fight with a classmate.

Anthony Estrada, Anjelita's father, previously told the Record-Journal that she moved to Connecticut with her mother and stepfather six months ago and had difficulty fitting in. The Waterbury Republican-American reports that Anjelita felt she was bullied in school because of her Hispanic background. She was involved in a fight with another girl several weeks prior to her death and received an in-school suspension as discipline, according to the Republican-American.

The Meriden Record-Journal reports Anjelita fought with a family member inside the home just before her death. Investigating officers found no signs of foul play in the death.

School officials recently held a community forum to discuss bullying and ways to prevent it. School officials wouldn’t specifically comment on any reported bullying and their response related to Anjelita’s case, telling the Republican-American they are prohibited from commenting on all investigations.

Anthony Estrada spoke out about Anjelita’s death, hoping to help prevent any other child or family from having to deal with such a tragedy. In an update on a GoFundMe page that was launched to help bring Anjelita's body to New Mexico for a funeral, Anthony Estrada said that they were able to lay her to rest and “it’s been incredibly difficult to say the least.”

"Without everyone's love and support I have no idea how we could have been able to navigate this tragedy,” Estrada wrote. “I want to thank you all for your generosity. There is no sequence of words I or anyone could ever put together to explain the gratitude that I have for the kindness our family has experienced during Anjelita's passing. I don't know where to go from here but I do know that we have a message and a mission. Anjelita was a kind, shy, intelligent, and loving soul. I think that she would have us love one another, regardless of where we come from. If we're a little different, so what. We all have to share this rock we call earth. We all have to navigate through troubles, ailments, pain....life. All I ask is that we keep sharing this. Get our message out there and maybe we can save another child's life. Just maybe we can keep another family from having to suffer this pain. I really don't know what else to say right now but Thank You. Love and be kind to one another.”

Read more at the Meriden Record-Journal here and the Waterbury Republican-American here.