Parents blame social media pressures for daughter's death

Isobel St. Pierre loved drawing and was a talented artist.

The 16-year-old, like many teens, wanted to capture her life in a series of images: one selfie after another after another.

Her family thinks that desire is what led to her death.

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“I honestly believe if Isobel had a chance for a do-over, she would not have done what she did,” said her father, Jeremy St. Pierre.

Officially, Isobel's death was ruled a suicide, but her parents believe otherwise.

“What do you think she was trying to do with her phone? I think she was trying to take a picture,” said Jeremy St. Pierre. “I think it was an accidental death.”

They believe Isobel was trying to capture herself in a dramatic selfie to get the attention of an ex-boyfriend, not intending to take her own life.

“I went upstairs and found her hanging in her closet,” said her mother, Marsha St. Pierre. “Ran over and grabbed her and lifted her up.

“We found her with the phone on the floor next to her.”

Twenty minutes earlier, she had been eating dinner with her family. She cleaned up the dishes. She displayed a little teenage moodiness, but nothing to suggest she was on the verge of suicide.

“She should be at Seton Hill,” said Jeremy St. Pierre. “She should be driving me crazy about driving the car. Making me worry about drinking and driving.”

"This convenience has a price. And the price is access to another world that you may not be able to police as much as you would like to think you can."

Instead all the family has are her ashes in a box.

“I had to stop letting Beau, our dog, out,” said Marsha St. Pierre. “She would sit out the front lawn, waiting for Isobel to get off the bus, and it broke my heart.”

They're asking parents to pay attention to what their kids are doing online. They say this selfie-obsessed world and social media may be free, but still carry a price.

“This convenience has a price,” said Jeremy St. Pierre. “And the price is access to another world that you may not be able to police as much as you would like to think you can.”

The family donated Isobel's organs and tissue and has become involved with the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, or CORE.

Cox Media Group