Peach County sheriff, DA looking into Byron student suicide. What we know.

Editor’s Note: The national suicide prevention hotline is available 24/7 and can be reached by dialing 988. More information can be found at 988lifeline.org.

The Peach County Sheriff’s Office said it has referred the case of Ava Little, a Byron Middle School student who was reportedly bullied before dying by suicide, to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

In an email Tuesday, Peach County Sheriff Robert “Buck” Shannon said the department conducted an investigation into the death before sending the case to the district attorney’s office. He did not confirm if any students were charged or arrested.

“Since it was juveniles, the case was turned over to the DA’s office for them to review,” Shannon said. “The DA Office will have the outcome of this case.”

Shannon did not elaborate on when law enforcement investigated, its findings or when the case was referred to prosecutors. The Telegraph filed an open records request with the office for case summaries.

Susan Ryan, spokesperson for the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, said the case was presented to the DA’s office, but has been turned back to the sheriff’s office for further investigation.

“After review, more evidence has been requested for potential prosecution,” Ryan said in an email Wednesday after this story was initially published.

Little’s family said her suicide followed prolonged bullying that Peach County School District officials did not address, despite making several complaints.

District officials recently said they conducted a “thorough review” of its bullying response procedures and found many reported bullying incidents were mutual conflicts among students rather than behavior meeting Georgia’s legal definition of bullying: repeated behavior and “conduct that is severe, persistent and pervasive.”

Superintendent Jesse Davis said the district’s authority is more limited when conduct occurs entirely off campus or outside school hours and is not directly tied to a school. He encouraged families to reach out with bullying concerns.

Georgia law covers off-campus cyberbullying if the communication targets students or staff, is intended to threaten safety or disrupt school operations, and creates a reasonable fear of harm or is likely to do so, according to stopbullying.gov, a resource managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Shannon said Georgia law allows for students to be criminally charged for bullying, “although the specific charges typically stem from broader criminal statutes rather than a single law dedicated solely to ‘bullying-induced suicide.’”

While education codes primarily handle school discipline, criminal charges for bullying that leads to severe harm or suicide are prosecuted under the Georgia Code of Crimes and Offenses, Shannon said.

“It is a felony in Georgia to knowingly and willfully assist another person in committing suicide,” he said. “If a bully’s actions are proven to have actively assisted or encouraged the act with knowledge of the victim’s intent, they can face 1 to 10 years in prison.”

Bullying can also be treated as a misdemeanor crime, which has a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine. Students may also face charges such as harassment or stalking if behavior is “severe” or “persistent” enough to create an intimidating environment.

State law requires schools to take specific disciplinary actions, including removing students to alternative schools after repeated offenses and notifying parents when a student is identified as either a bully or a victim.

In addition to criminal penalties, families may seek civil action. Parents can be held financially liable for a child’s malicious actions, and recent court rulings have allowed lawsuits against school systems to move forward if officials are found to have ignored serious bullying or suicide risks, Shannon said.

What guidance does the GaDOE provide on bullying?

Georgia Department of Education spokesperson Meghan Frick said there is no guidance in the state’s bullying law or in the department’s Model Bullying Policy that directly addresses bullying incidents leading to a student’s death.

Frick said the two measures do not address prolonged, unresolved bullying that leads to a student’s suicide, nor do state laws require school districts to notify local law enforcement or the district attorney to initiate an investigation.

“However, Georgia’s bullying law does require each local board of education to establish and publish in its own local board policy a method to notify parents/guardians of a student found to have committed bullying or a student who is a target of bullying,” Frick said in an email Tuesday.

The GaDOE’s bullying policy also states that, when appropriate, law enforcement or other agencies will be notified in accordance with state law and school policy, Frick said.

State law does not which school staff member is responsible for contacting law enforcement, but local boards of education must establish policies that may determine who should contact law enforcement or other necessary referrals.

State law does not specifically address when a bullying situation at school crosses the threshold where it must be referred to law enforcement, Frick said.

“However, a school’s multidisciplinary Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) team should assess all potential threats and concerns,” she said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 3:06 PM.