The family of Lee MacMillan — an influencer who documented her van life on Instagram — has spoken out about her tragic death.
On Thursday, her father Wil MacMillan revealed to the Daily Mail Australia that the 28-year-old had dealt with cyber bullying and battled depression before taking her own life last week.
“Unfortunately, Lee was subjected to significant trolling and it impacted her deeply… our collective help simply wasn’t enough to overcome the negativity that Trolls inflict.”
Related: Mia Farrow Recounts Deaths Of Three Of Her Children After ‘Vicious Rumors’
In case you didn’t know, the social media personality first rose to fame when she and then-boyfriend Max Bidstrup posted about their travels across the world in a renovated van on their joint IG. However, they broke up in January 2020, and Lee had since started her rehabilitation of an old camper van.
Tragically, though, Lee was struck by an Amtrak train near Santa Barbara on Friday. Her death was confirmed to be a suicide.
Her family hopes people will take the harmful effects that bullying can have on a person’s mental health more seriously now after their daughter’s death. Wil told the outlet:
“We need and must raise awareness that mental health is as real as any other serious illness. In addition, and as important, we want to highlight the best way to fight against cyberbullying and bullying in general.”
He continued:
“Online bullying is out of control worldwide and must be stopped. Those that engage in trolling must understand that there are real-life consequences to their actions, and we need to figure out a way to hold them and the platforms that allow it to be held accountable.”
Words matter, guys. Our thoughts continue to be with Lee’s family during this difficult time.
[Image via Lee MacMillan/Instagram]
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