Katelyn Davis: Investigation Into Abuse Was Opened Before Death

Following the tragic death of 12-year-old Georgia native Katelyn Davis late last year, new information has come to light suggesting that Polk County Police had already opened an investigation into the alleged abuse of the girl.

Davis’ death made headlines around the world after she live streamed her suicide online, leading many to question how she got to that point. Davis was an active blogger, and it is believed her posts mentioning alleged physical and sexual abuse at the hands of a male family member may have tipped off local police into opening the investigation.

In the wake of Davis’ death, there has been much attention from media and the public into the home life of the girl. Much of the information has been pulled from Davis’ blog, “Diary of a Broken Doll” where she posted under the name “Dolly”.

Katelyn Nicole Davis suicide video is going viral – and cops are powerless to stop it https://t.co/gox8pPQcWB pic.twitter.com/kUOT9Ls3rd

— ZULEYDI P (@zuleydi_perez) January 12, 2017

In a post on December 27, three days before her death, Davis suggests that the abuse she suffered was at the hands of her stepfather.

“My stepfather did a lot of things to me, that it seems I cannot forgive him for. He physically, mentally and verbally abused me. He struck me with his leather belt that has silver studs, making sure that the studs hit me. He once hit me so hard with the belt on my arm, that my arm started to bleed. He even… He tried to rape me.”

Davis alleges her stepfather told her to “go and commit suicide” on several occasions before going into detail on the emotionally abusive nature of their relationship.

“I got into the National Leaders Association for Young Leaders. They were going to help me with college. But of course, he said I was too stupid to be in something like that, and he burned it in front of my face.”

Following Davis’ death, many of the videos posted on her blog have been widely circulated online. The videos, which appear to be taken in secret, provide an insight into the visibly strained relationship between Davis and her mother, Tammy Michelle Rogers. The videos highlight much of the behavior Davis alludes to in her blog entries, including her mother’s drug use and tendency to bring home other men.

Davis’ final video post was a live steam of her death on December 30, 2016, where she briefly addressed the camera before setting up a noose and hanging herself from a tree in her backyard. The graphic footage was viewed by many around the world, but it was a police officer from California who saw the video and alerted local authorities to the situation.

Despite being removed from streaming platform Live.me, the video continues to be shared online. According to Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd, authorities are limited in their ability to have the videos taken down.

“We did our due diligence to try to remove it but it’s impossible. There’s too many websites that have it, there’s too many people that have it on their device such as their smartphones, iPads, computers. Unfortunately with the internet once it’s out there, it’s out there and you can’t get it removed.”

Chief Dodd explains that despite being contacted by authorities, many website moderators have refused to remove the video.

“We want it down as much as anyone for the family and it may be harmful to other kids. We contacted some of the sites. They asked if they had to take it down and by law they don’t. But it’s just the common decent thing to do in my opinion.”

According to the Polk County Police department, the investigation into the alleged abuse of Davis is ongoing and the police are yet to make any arrests.

Any readers suffering from depression or considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255.

[Featured Image by Brandon Wade/AP Images]