The family of Tyah, a 16-year-old high school student found dead on Thursday in Lormont near Bordeaux, spoke to BFMTV. Her relatives denounce school bullying and the lack of follow-up from the school after they reported her missing.

Hatyce Tyah Halidi Selemani, a 16-year-old high school student, was found dead on Thursday. Her family claims she was a victim of bullying. DR

Hatyce Tyah Halidi Selemani, a 16-year-old high school student, was found dead on Thursday. Her family claims she was a victim of bullying. DR

Tyah gave no outward sign of her troubles. Three days after the discovery of her body hanging in Lormont (Gironde), in the Bordeaux metropolitan area, the family of the 16-year-old high school student broke their silence. In an interview with BFMTV, the teenager's relatives denounced a situation of harassment and criticized the inaction of her school.

A hardworking and ambitious teenager, Tyah was described by her brother Erwan as "a good listener, but also quite reserved and shy." According to her family, nothing foreshadowed the tragedy. Tyah didn't talk about her problems at home, keeping everything to herself. Until that appointment on December 18th with the nurse from her high school, Pape-Clément, in Pessac.

"Tyah had confided in me."

It was at this moment that her mother, Nathalie Ratsimivony, discovered the truth: her daughter was being bullied. "Tyah had confided in another student, saying that if the bullying continued, she would take her own life," she told BFMTV.

An alert that should have triggered an immediate reaction from the school. But according to Erwan, interviewed by the news channel, nothing was done: "Regarding this situation, we received no follow-up from the school to find out if the people involved had been summoned or questioned."

In addition to her difficulties at school and problems with her ex-boyfriend, there was reportedly an altercation on January 12, the day she disappeared, a month after her appointment at the school nurse's office. She had left school at midday to go home for lunch. Her brother found her very upset and in tears. She was supposed to return to class that afternoon, but never came back.

No harassment was found.

After seventeen days of intensive searching involving drones, canine units, and firefighters, her body was found on Thursday, January 29, by a passerby in Lormont. According to the Bordeaux prosecutor's office, the young woman was found hanged. An autopsy will now determine the exact circumstances of her death.

For its part, the Bordeaux education authority announced the opening of an administrative inquiry. "Current evidence suggests that the girl received support from her school, without any formal allegations of harassment having been made," it stated in a press release, adding that an investigation will be conducted "to gather all the necessary information." The judicial investigation by the Bordeaux public prosecutor's office is still ongoing.