Mom Shares 'Last Selfie' Taken With Mallory Grossman Before Death

ROCKAWAY, NJ — A year ago today, Diane Grossman took her daughter Mallory out to dinner at McDonald's. The two shared fries and an ice-cream cone, snapping selfies ahead of older sister Carlee's vocal recital.

It was a normal night, except for one thing that Grossman shared today: It was the last photo she would ever take with Mallory.

Nine days later, on June 14, 2017, Mallory took her own life after what her family has called "horrific" bullying at school and online. She was just 12 years old.

"Our last picture. I’ve thought about this day for 11 months. June 5th, the last picture I took of my daughter. Sitting there in that damn Mc Donald’s. Why didn’t I know? Jesus ...Why?" Grossman writes on the first anniversary of the photo.

In an emotional post on the Mallory's Army Facebook page, Grossman details that trip to McDonald's, saying Mallory opened up about some of the bullying she was facing.

"As we sat sharing ketchup ... she mentioned cheer. Sign ups had already taken place. She didn’t want to. She did want to," Grossman wrote, saying two of the girls who bullied Mallory at school had signed up for the team.

Mallory loved cheerleading and gymnastics, and was remembered in her death as a dedicated and promising athlete. But the thought of bullies in a space she loved was a daunting prospect for her, Grossman wrote.

Grossman said in the next few days she did all she could to try and separate the girls, going back and forth with the cheerleading coach, but there didn't appear to be a way to do so.

"After this back n forth. Mallory was (in this moment) ok with cheer. I think she wanted to believe I’d protect her. Someone would protect her. I didn’t know...." Grossman wrote.

In the reflective post, Grossman shares all of the things she didn't know at the time, including the extent of the bullying: "I didn’t totally know what was wrong, she was quiet and personal. I didn’t know about the pictures online. I didn’t know they told her to kill herself."

In the 51 weeks since Mallory's death, Diane and Seth Grossman have begun to fight back against the school and the cultural issue of bullying. The Grossmans announced their intent to sue the Rockaway Township School District last August, saying the school district knew about the bullying and did nothing to stop it.

"She represented what they [other students] couldn't be, and therefore she had a target on her back, it really was about the humiliation and intimidation," Diane Grossman said last August. She said the alleged bullying began in October 2016, and included "dirty looks, harassment, name calling, exclusion."

"Her classmates used this cellphone to drive her into this tragedy. For months, there was text, there was Snapchat, there was Instagram, for months she was told, she's a loser, she has no friends, and finally, she was even told, 'why don't you kill yourself?'" attorney Bruce Nagel, who is representing the Grossmans, said in a press conference announcing the suit.

The school had denied any wrongdoings, saying they took the appropriate steps to address concerns.

In addition to their legal battles, the Grossman family has started Mallory's Army, a non-profit dedicated to ending cyberbullying.

Read More:

• Bullying Against Mallory Grossman Wasn't Ignored, Rockaway School Officials Say
• Mallory Grossman's Family Sues Rockaway Schools Over Bullying That Led To Suicide
• Mother Of Rockaway 12-Year-Old Who Died Complained To School About Bullying
• 'Mallory's Army' Fights Back Against Bullying After 12-Year-Old's Sudden Death
• Rockaway 6th Grader Who Passed Away Remembered As Charitable And Outdoorsy
• Community Donates $64K To Family Of Rockaway Middle Schooler Who Died Last Week

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