Mother 'Tweets' as Son Dies

Feeky Magee · 19-12-2009 01:40AM #1

Shellie Ross sent out a message on Twitter asking her followers "please pray like never before, my 2 yr old fell in the pool" as paramedics tried to revive her son Bryson after he was found floating face down in a swimming pool. Five hours later, when her son was pronounced dead, she went back on to the Twitter site to update her 5,000 followers, posting "Remembering my million dollar baby".

Moments later, she posted a photo of her son on the site, but her use of Twitter as her son lay dying has provoked outrage among the blogging community in the US.
Police in Florida said they were aware of the 'tweets' and would be looking into them as part of their investigation into the drowning.

Many were shocked that she chose to use the social networking site to reveal something so deeply personal. "The first thing I thought when I saw the tweet was that it was very sad," said online poster Madison McGraw. "But then I thought, 'Who would tweet that her son just drowned?' I couldn't believe it."

Mrs Ross, who is married to a US airman and used the tweet name of "Military-Mom", sent out a message at 5.22pm on Monday which read:"Fog is rolling in thick scared the birds back in the coop."She and her 11-year-old son had been cleaning out a chicken coup while Bryson played in the garden.

A minute later police in Mirrett Island, Florida, said they received an emergency call from Mrs Ross's 11-year-old son saying that his brother was floating unconscious in their pool.

Police spokesman Lt Bruce Barnett said Mrs Ross had asked her older son to turn off a hose inside the pool enclosure but the gate behind him did not close properly.
"When Ross finished cleaning she went inside and was looking for the two-year-old, who she thought was with her 11-year-old, and wasn't able to find him and started to panic," he said. "That's when she found him floating."

Lt Barnett said Mrs Ross said her son was in the water for "maybe five minutes" and performed CPR on her son before paramedics arrived.

Mrs Ross defended her use of Twitter. "Nobody has a right to question" why she tweeted, she said, adding: "I didn't tweet-by-tweet the accident." The messages and photos were later removed from the website and Mrs Ross has now made her Twitter account private.

Maybe if she spent less time on Twitter and more time looking after her son, this would never have happened? I just don't understand how it could possibly go through someone's head when their child's life is in the balance; "Oh I'll just update my Twitter."

Sad reflection of the person, or of online obsession, or understandable reaction?

Jako8 · 19-12-2009 01:42AM

*sighs*

This is just another example of the evil of twitter.

AlmightyCushion · 19-12-2009 01:42AM

After something like that I probably wouldn't be able to talk let alone bloody tweet about it.

mink_man · 19-12-2009 01:44AM

DILLIGAF (google it)

HAHAHHAA FEEKY MCGEE...FUNNY MAN

Saibh · 19-12-2009 01:44AM

Feeky Magee wrote: »

Maybe if she spent less time on Twitter and more time looking after her son, this would never have happened? I just don't understand how it could possibly go through someone's head when their child's life is in the balance; "Oh I'll just update my Twitter."

Sad reflection of the person, or of online obsession, or understandable reaction?

She seemed more interested in updating her twitter account than mourning for the loss of her son - sad tbh.

partyatmygaff · 19-12-2009 01:44AM

Maybe it was a need to tell someone. Maybe not the best of ideas. Its kind of like she called a friend/family e.t.c. to tell them.

Sharpshooter · 19-12-2009 01:45AM

Christ!

How could she do that?

jhegarty · 19-12-2009 01:47AM

Feeky Magee wrote: »

Maybe if she spent less time on Twitter and more time looking after her son, this would never have happened? I just don't understand how it could possibly go through someone's head when their child's life is in the balance; "Oh I'll just update my Twitter."

Sad reflection of the person, or of online obsession, or understandable reaction?

Perhaps she had no friends / family to support her.

Silverfish · 19-12-2009 01:48AM

Well, her first tweet was before she knew he'd fallen in the pool, and her next tweet was 5 hours after he'd died, and people do weird things in times of stress and grief.

Oh wait, I read it wrong. People do strange things in times of stress and grief, but updating twitter while paramedics work on your child is a bit of a crazy stretch. While it might have been a beseeching of support, it just looks wildly inappropriate.

Morlar · 19-12-2009 01:50AM

jhegarty wrote: »

Perhaps she had no friends / family to support her.

Boo. Hoo. **** her the stupid ****, anyone who would even contemplate updating a ****ing social network while attempts were being made to revive her child is beyond unfit as a parent.

WindSock · 19-12-2009 01:51AM

She was reaching out to the wider community to pray for her son while the paramedics were working on him. She was probably getting in the way otherwise. It's not like it takes a long time to type a sentance...

aDeener · 19-12-2009 01:52AM

silly fuckin bitch

TamNaz · 19-12-2009 01:53AM

Or maybe she thought she would have a good portion of her '5,000 followers' praying for him.

I hate Twitter..ers but maybe it was something a bit less mindlessly rotten than it appears.

Feeky Magee · 19-12-2009 01:53AM

Silverfish wrote: »

Well, her first tweet was before she knew he'd fallen in the pool, and her next tweet was 5 hours after he'd died, and people do weird things in times of stress and grief.

No, she tweeted 1 minute before he fell in the pool, and then after she found him, letting her followers know he'd fallen in. Then, 5 hours later, she tweeted that he'd died.

Sharpshooter · 19-12-2009 01:53AM

Silverfish wrote: »

Well, her first tweet was before she knew he'd fallen in the pool, and her next tweet was 5 hours after he'd died, and people do weird things in times of stress and grief.

I can't think of anyone I know with children that would even remember they were a member of a social site if that were to happen to them.

Silverfish · 19-12-2009 01:54AM

Feeky Magee wrote: »

No, she tweeted 1 minute before he fell in the pool, and then after she found him, letting her followers know he'd fallen in. Then, 5 hours later, she tweeted that he'd died.

Yeah, I covered that.

jd007 · 19-12-2009 01:55AM

I blame twitter

Morlar · 19-12-2009 01:55AM

WindSock wrote: »

She was reaching out to the wider community to pray for her son while the paramedics were working on him. She was probably getting in the way otherwise. It's not like it takes a long time to type a sentance...

Can you imagine any parent doing that on boards ?

'Hey evwybody just found my 2 yr old face down in the bath brb'

That is some kind of sick twisted attention seeking mental degeneracy going on there.

smellslikeshoes · 19-12-2009 01:55AM

I don't see much of a problem here to be honest, yea it's weird that she tweeted so soon but everyone deals with these sort of situations in their own way and maybe she just needed to tell someone and maybe get some support from friends/family on twitter. It's not like she was on twitter while she knew her son was in the pool or anything.

Saibh · 19-12-2009 02:00AM

Morlar wrote: »

Can you imagine any parent doing that on boards ?

'Hey evwybody just found my 2 yr old face down in the bath brb'

That is some kind of sick twisted attention seeking mental degeneracy going on there.

They would be outright war on boards if someone did that. I know it would be last thing I would be thinking about is posting anything on the internet.

Feeky Magee · 19-12-2009 02:02AM

Morlar wrote: »

Can you imagine any parent doing that on boards ?

'Hey evwybody just found my 2 yr old face down in the bath brb'

That is some kind of sick twisted attention seeking mental degeneracy going on there.

Nail on head.

jumpguy · 19-12-2009 02:03AM

A serious case of "Twitter Syndrome"?

We see it alot these days, people going out at nights with the main accessory being the digital camera, taking more photos than trying to enjoy themselves so they can put it on Facebook the next day so everyone will think of what a great night they had and how exciting it was. Well, in this case, updating Twitter to get abit of publicity, people will know. I mean, you can say "pray for my son" when he's in hospital in grave condition or dead, but when you should be saving his life...

The Express · 19-12-2009 02:06AM

I know F*uck all about twitter. Not a jot.

But if the bitch was expecting a screen full of 'Thanks' she can f*uckin' burn in hell for eternity.

What a downright waste of the gift of motherhood.

WindSock · 19-12-2009 02:07AM

Morlar wrote: »

Can you imagine any parent doing that on boards ?

'Hey evwybody just found my 2 yr old face down in the bath brb'

That is some kind of sick twisted attention seeking mental degeneracy going on there.

What does a parent normally do while their child is being resuscitated? Jump up and down while pulling thier hair out?
She panicked. The computer was on. She wanted help and support.

Silverfish · 19-12-2009 02:09AM

WindSock wrote: »

What does a parent normally do while their child is being resuscitated? Jump up and down while pulling thier hair out?
She panicked. The computer was on. She wanted help and support.

Actually, since she was out cleaning a chicken coop while it happened, it looked like she was using her mobile. I can tweet from mine just like sending a text. Not defending it, just saying.

WindSock · 19-12-2009 02:13AM

Yeah but. She tried to revive him. It's not like she let him stay there dying until the paramedics arrived while she texted to her twitter page.

performed CPR on her son before paramedics arrived

She twitted while the medics were there. What else could she do?

BluesBerry · 19-12-2009 02:19AM

Nobody knows how they would react in a situation like that everyone reacts differently she was probably in a state of shock she had witnessed her son lying face down in a pool she was probably walking around in a haze didnt know what to do

My prayers are with that woman god love her:(

Feeky Magee · 19-12-2009 02:22AM

WindSock wrote: »

Yeah but. She tried to revive him. It's not like she let him stay there dying until the paramedics arrived while she texted to her twitter page.

She twitted while the medics were there. What else could she do?

I would have thought the natural reaction when faced with losing your child would to be absolutely beside yourself with fear, and not having the composure to load up a site with a 100 character limit to let ,essentially, a bunch of strangers know her kid was dying.

ferg2020 · 19-12-2009 02:27AM

Poor child. Don't know the whole story but it doesn't sound good for the mother.

Sharpshooter · 19-12-2009 02:30AM

WindSock wrote: »

She was reaching out to the wider community to pray for her son while the paramedics were working on him. She was probably getting in the way otherwise. It's not like it takes a long time to type a sentance...

WindSock wrote: »

What does a parent normally do while their child is being resuscitated? Jump up and down while pulling thier hair out?
She panicked. The computer was on. She wanted help and support.

WindSock wrote: »

Yeah but. She tried to revive him. It's not like she let him stay there dying until the paramedics arrived while she texted to her twitter page.

She twitted while the medics were there. What else could she do?

No More.

The Express · 19-12-2009 02:35AM

Sharpshooter wrote: »

No More.

In all fairness, you have a point. Good post.

Mother 'Tweets' as Son Dies

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