Rachel Ehmke's parents believe bullying pushed the 7th grader to take her own life this past weekend. Dodge County investigators are now looking into whether those claims had a role in the death of the 13-year-old Kasson-Mantorville Middle School student.

Family and friends gathered Friday to remember 13-year-old Rachel Ehmke. Her parents claim name-calling at Kasson-Mantorville Middle School pushed the 7th grader to take her own life last weekend. Dodge County Sheriff officials are investigating whether intense harassment played a role in the young girl's death.

Family and friends walked around Mill Pond in Austin this weekend to remember the Kasson-Mantorville 7th grader who took her own life last month. Rachel Ehmke’s parents believe intense bullying pushed their teenage daughter to commit suicide. The Austin Daily Herald reports organizers want to make this an annual event and are already planning next year's walk.

Dodge County investigators believe harassment and bullying were likely factors in Rachel's death, but there is insufficient evidence to file charges. The Sheriff's office also determined a text message in question originated from her own father's home in Mantorville and say it's possible Rachel sent the message herself. The 13-year-old was a 7th grader at Kasson-Mantorville Middle School. She took her own life late last month.

The superintendent says the latest statement is both an acknowledgement that bullying could have been a factor in the rash of student suicides and an apology for an earlier message, which indicated there was no evidence that harassment contributed to the tragedies.

An article in Rolling Stone magazine suggests the Anoka-Hennepin school district contributed to the suicides of gay teenagers by fostering an anti-gay climate. Now the district is hitting back by criticizing the article and defending its work toward ending bullying and harassment.

The timing of Friday's opening of the documentary "Bully" in Rochester couldn't have been more poignant. Parents and authorities said that harassment and bullying were likely factors in the suicides of two local teenagers in the past two weeks.