Background
Megan Taylor Meier was born on November 6, 1992 to Christina "Tina" Meier and Ronald Meier in O'Fallon, Missouri. During Megan's childhood she lived in the nearby Dardenne Prairie. She had a younger sister named Allison.
From the third grade, Megan had been under the care of a psychiatrist. She had been prescribed citalopram, methylphenidate and ziprasidone. She had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and depression, and had self-esteem issues regarding her weight. She was described by her parents as a "bubbly, goofy" girl who enjoyed spending time with her friends and family.
Meier attended Fort Zumwalt public schools, including Pheasant Point Elementary School and Fort Zumwalt West Middle School in nearby O'Fallon, Missouri. For eighth grade, her parents enrolled her at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Dardenne Prairie. They thought that its policy requiring uniforms and prohibiting makeup and jewelry might help Megan fit in.
A 16-year-old male named "Josh Evans" was registered on the account used for bullying messages to Meier. But Lori Drew, the mother of Sarah, a former friend of Meier, later admitted creating the MySpace account. At the time of the suicide, the Drew and Meier families were neighbors, living four doors apart.
Lori Drew was aided by Sarah and by Ashley Grills, an 18-year-old employee of Lori. Lori and several others ran the hoaxed account. Witnesses testified that the women intended to use Meier’s messages sent to "Josh" to get information about her and later humiliate her, in retribution for her allegedly spreading gossip about Drew's daughter.
Soon after opening an account on MySpace, Meier received a message supposedly from a 16-year-old boy, Josh Evans. (It was sent by Lori Drew using a fabricated account.) Meier and "Josh" became online friends, but never met in person or spoke. Meier thought "Josh" was attractive. As Meier began to exchange messages with this person, her family said she seemed to have had her "spirits lifted". This person claimed to have moved to the nearby city of O'Fallon, was home schooled, and did not yet have a phone number.
Read more about this topic: Suicide Of Megan Meier
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