Dying Girl Kathleen Edward Cyberbullied by 33-Year-Old Neighbor, Jennifer Petkov. WHY? Update: Unfortunately, Kathleen passed away Wed., 01/11/12.

I purposely put this in the lounge as it is so outrageous, I want to make sure everyone reads it. Also, honestly...I wasn't sure just where to put this under bullies. It's usually kids bullying other kids. This falls under the heading of: Grown imbecile bullies a 7 year old child dying from Huntington's Disease who already lost her mother to it.

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October 13, 2010 10:02 AM
Posted by Aina Hunter 167 comments

Kathleen Edward, 7, is dying from Huntington's disease and also enduring cyberbullying from an adult neighbor. (Personal Photo)

(CBS) Seven-year-old Kathleen Edward knows what it's like to die from Huntington's Disease. Last year, the debilitating disorder, which progressively destroys the mind and control of the body, took her mother's life.

Kathleen has it too.

But the disease is not her only nemesis. Kathleen is also the victim of a horrifying cyberbullying attack and the perpetrator is a 33-year-old neighbor, Jennifer Petkov.

Petkov admitted to WJBK News in Detroit that she had posted ghoulish art work of the child on her Facebook page. The picture showed the Kathleen's face - eyes closed and tongue lolling out - with a pair of crossed bones beneath it.

Petkov also admitted to posting a Photoshopped image of Kathleen's mother cradled by the Grim Reaper.

When asked why she did it, Petkov sounded a lot like a high school mean girl. "Personal satisfaction," she told the station. "Because it rubs their a-s raw."

"Cyberbullying gives people the opportunity to be more aggressive than they would allow themselves to be in person," Dr. Samuelle Klein-Von Reiche, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Manhattan, tells CBS News. "There is a weaker sense of personal responsibility. You don't have to confront someone directly."

Still, there had been plenty of public confrontation in the past. Police said they visited the two homes on several occasions, as the families had been feuding for years.

More recently, neighbors in Trenton, Mich., told the local news station that Petkov and her husband decorated their pickup to look like a hearse, strapped a homemade coffin on top, and drove it back and forth in front of the home Kathleen shares with her father and step mother. Petkov said it was just a Halloween prank.

The origins of the dispute are unclear, but that seems less important than the question of why, and how, a person could be so cruel?

Dr. Klein-Von Reiche, who can't comment on this specific case, says there are several possible explanations for why an adult would bully a child.

"People who believe that cruelty is an acceptable means to channel interpersonal conflict, often suffer from severe narcissism with an antisocial element," she says.

In addition, she adds, we live in a media culture where over-the-top drama, including vicious fighting on reality TV, is pervasive. "For someone who already has questionable judgment," she says, "that only reinforces the idea that extreme mental cruelty is acceptable."

The Edward family now has a restraining order against the Petkovs, and the neighborhood has banded together in support of the little girl. A Facebook group, "We Love You Kathleen," has almost 4,000 members. A toy store in Ann Arbor raised $9,000 for a shopping spree, according to WJBK.

Petkov and her husband have made a public apology and dismantled the coffin on top of the "hearse." Small favors for a girl who faces a disease without cure.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Huntington's is "a progressive, degenerative disease that causes certain nerve cells in your brain to waste away." The result is uncontrolled movements, mental disturbances, and death. Symptoms usually develop in middle age. It is rare for children to show sings of the genetic disorder, but it can progress faster if they do.

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I caught just a moment of this on tv and meant to look into it more.

What the hay is wrong with this woman? Can you do things like that in a neighborhood.

And why would a family that is battleing cancer have to put up with this nut for even 5 minutes?

Something is terribly wrong with this neighbor woman. What a shame she is allowed to do this and then be interviewed and made to feel "special".

Unbelievable!

There's a website called 4chan that deals out their own personal brand of justice to people like this, i heard they've already taken care of it..they're a group of anonymous people i guess that are really good at tracking peoples stuff down because they apparently managed to get this womans phone number and address and have been harassing the heck out of her and her family for what they did to this little girl

this is the same group of people that saved two cats from an abusive home when the abuser (a teenager) posted videos on youtube of him throwing his cat against walls and beating him against every surface possible along the way, then tossing him in a cold shower. They tracked down his name and address and got the authorities involved and such.

They also harassed a 13 year old girl though, because she was making videos about how 'amazing' and 'pretty' she was i guess and talking about killing people because they annoyed her because they were jealous...apparently she had posted nude pictures on the internet of herself, and those were being spread like wild fire, not to mention people got her name and address and she was receiving alot of threats herself for a while.

moral of the story: dont be an idiot on the internet.

I also saw this story on the People You'll See In Hell website.
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What awful people!! I can't imagine what could have caused them to be so mean to a dying little girl? I'm glad they "changed their tune" (at least publicly), but I hope they go find a rock to go live under as their next residence! Didn't they ever learn the "golden rule"? "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"... very basic, but very true!!

The case stems from the bitch mom wanting her daughter to attend Kathleen's birthday party. Apparently, Kathleen or her mother did not respond quickly enough.

Updated: Thursday, 12 Jan 2012, 4:37 PM CST
Published : Thursday, 12 Jan 2012, 3:41 PM CST
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(NewsCore) (MyFoxDetroit) - The nine-year-old's father, Robert Edward, told WJBK-TV his daughter passed away at 10:07pm local time Wednesday after a battle with Huntington's Disease, a degenerative brain disorder that also claimed the lives of her mother, Laura, and her grandfather.

Kathleen made headlines in October 2010 after her grandmother's neighbor, Jennifer Petkov, posted morbid images on her Facebook page that poked fun at Kathleen and Laura.

One picture showed Kathleen's face with her eyes closed and a pair of crossed bones beneath it. Petkov admitted to WJBK's Ron Savage that she posted the photos, including one of Laura in the arms of the Grim Reaper.

Petkov's cyberbullying drew scrutiny and well-wishes for Kathleen poured in from around the world. Thousands attended a rally in October 2010 to help raise money for the Edward family. Volunteers even treated her to a shopping spree at a local toy store.

Petkov has since apologized for her actions, but faced charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and reckless driving after police said she tried to run over another neighbor with her car shortly after the story first broke. She is currently on probation.

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